Under the Surface
by x0-vindicated-0x
Summary: From the moment he got her back, he vowed that he would protect her from further harm. But he never suspected that he would be the one putting her in danger. -sequel to Through the Haze- Dasey-
1. Hints

**Highly suggest you read Through the Haze first, or you may not understand characters. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter One: Hints**

If anybody had ever experienced a morning worse than this one, Derek would love to hear about it. It might cheer him up just a little to know that the world was not focusing all of its bad luck on him alone.

He had woken up at five thirty in the morning to the sound of his neighbours dog, who seemed to find it appropriate to bark up a storm at a time when only the coffee fiends were awake. Derek had silently cursed the over-energized animal, and had closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to get some sleep. The same demon dog had kept him awake for yet another half an hour, but even after the dog's owner had brought him inside the house for the morning, sleep would not come. He had tried to freeze all thoughts out of his mind, so that he had nothing to distract him, but his attempts had been useless. He had given in at around six thirty, when Casey had gotten up to get her shower.

The rest of the morning hadn't gone much better. He had arrived at the small building where he worked only to find that his only partner, Andrew Wallace, had not arrived for work yet, and he had forgotten his own key. It had been raining out the night before, so he had been forced to sit around on the damp steps for about forty-five minutes, until Mr. Wallace had come along to let him in. Because he had been late getting into work, he was behind on a few of his cases, and he had missed an entire flock of phone calls. He had managed to return most of the calls, but by the time he had finished calling back his final client, his inbox was full of all the calls he had missed while on the phone with everyone else.

By lunchtime, he was just about ready to give up entirely, when his phone rang for what felt like the seven hundreth time. As the sound of ringing met his ears, he tossed his pen across the desk, an incredible look of fury spreading across his face.

"Christ!" he yelled, at what felt like the top of his lungs. He heard Andrew laughing at him from the other side of the hall, and he snatched up his phone in one fist, glaring at the computer screen in front of him.

"Derek Venturi- can I _help_ you?" he bit out coldly, his hand clenching around the phone as tightly as it possibly could.

"Sounds like someone's having a simply _amazing_ day," came his girlfriend's voice over the phone, amused and cheerful. "How's my favourite little grump doing today?"

Derek sighed, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, letting it fall aimlessly around his eyes and ears in helpless strands. He wanted to tell her that he was doing just fine, and that his day was going well, because he knew that was what she wanted to hear from him. But he could not lie to Casey and expect to get away with it, so he wound up forcing back his dignity, and voicing the truth.

"Your favourite little grump is having a horrible day, and expects a nice home cooked meal and lots of kisses when he gets home from work today," he said, pressing his free hand against his forehead, as though this would push every bit of stress to the back of his mind, where he would not have to deal with it anymore.

He heard Casey laugh on the other end of the line, and the mere sound of her gentle laughter was enough to untangle some of the knots in his stomach that had formed out of stress. He felt his body grow less and less tense as she carried on, her voice acting as some sort of healing power, to his stressed mind.

"The kisses I can handle, but the home cooked meal might require some patience on your behalf," she said, and when he merely grumbled in response, she went on. "Actually, I was going to call to ask you a favour, not like you really seem in the mood for it. But whatever, it's worth a shot, right?"

"Mmm," he mumbled, staring off into space as he tried to pretend he was interested in whatever she was going to ask him. "I'll probably say no, but go ahead anyway. Amuse me, because I could use a good laugh."

He could practically sense her rolling her eyes at his witty comments, but he knew just as well as she did that he would probably end up doing whatever it was she was about to ask of him. He was a sucker for her, and it was a rare occasion when he could turn her away. Even over the phone, she could still get him, because he would just picture that pouty look she would give him... and he'd snap like a twig under pressure. He was a hopelessly lost cause when it came to his girl, and he knew that that would never change.

Preparing himself for defeat, he settled down to listen to her proposal.

"Okay, I know you're like... super busy right now, and I know you're technically not off for another four hours, but Becca's kindergarden teacher just called me at work," she said, sounding stressed. "Apparantly, Becca's been stuck in the washroom all morning with a stomach flu. The teacher sent her down to the office once her morning group finished up, and they kept her from going to afternoon daycare. They said she's too sick, and they're afraid it will catch onto the other kids."

"Poor kid," Derek muttered, shaking his head at the thought of his little girl being so uncomfortable. "So what's the catch here? What exactly do you want me to do?"

He heard his girlfriend draw in a deep breath, something that he had learned was never a good sign. When Casey was anxious about asking him a question, it usually meant that it was something she knew he didn't want to do. But Casey, God bless her, always had the nerve to ask him anyway. And because she had the power to control him from time to time, he usually went against his nature and helped her out anyway.

He was determined to break the streak this time, and defend his own honour. He would say no to her, if it was the last thing he did.

"I need you to go pick up Becca early from school," she said, and he could practically hear the desperation in her voice. "I asked them to stick her in with the afternoon kindergarden session, but they don't want to expose the other kids to whatever she's got. The daycare took her, but they're keeping her in the main office for the same reason; they don't want the other kids getting sick too."

"So what's so bad about that?" he asked, scribbling down some notes on his pad of paper absent-mindedly, only half concentrated on his work. "Can't they just keep her in the office for a couple of hours, until one of us is off work? It can't be that hard for them to do."

"Oh, they're not the problem," Casey said, the slightest hint of embarassment in her voice. "They told me that she's been crying all afternoon because she doesn't feel well, and she said being cooped up in that little office is making her feel even worse. The other kids are all outside playing, and she's upset because she can't join them. They said they'd be more than happy to keep her in the office this afternoon, but she's just not cooperating with them. They told me it's best if one of us comes and picks her up, but I've got a class in twenty minutes, and I don't have time to find a sub."

Derek cringed, knowing that Casey was absolutely right. She had gone on from university to be a high school english teacher, employed at the same school they had both graduated from nine years ago- when they were eighteen. She had a very hectic teaching schedule, and she always had a habit of striving for perrfection. Casey hated missing even one day of classes, claiming that all of her students seemed to fall behind while under the instruction of another teacher for a day. He had never questioned this, but he privately knew that she was probably right. He could recall how easily he forgot about his homework back in high school, everytime a substitute came in. Once his regular teacher had returned, he would always lie and say that there hadn't been any mention of homework at all during his last class. He had rarely gotten away with it, and he knew for damn sure that Casey would not be putting up with any of that nonsense from her students.

"Derek?" she questioned, after he had been silent for several long moments. "What do you think? Can you get off a bit early today to pick her up? I know you and Andrew usually do that whole... meeting thing after lunch... you know, discuss your cases together, but maybe you and him could just work from home, today? If Andrew wants to come over for the afternoon to work, that's fine by me."

"Case_yyy_," Derek whined, letting his head fall onto his desk as he felt his resolve weaken. "Me and Andrew have a very busy schedule to stick to, and-"

"_Busy_?" Casey questioned, and he could hear restrained laughter in her voice. "The last time I walked into the office, you two were playing Go Fish. It's a good thing there's only you and him that work together, because you two would be fired _so_ quick if you actually had a boss to listen to."

"It was a _slow_ day, and just so you know, yours truly was the winner."

His voice was proud and cocky, and Casey could not keep it in this time; she laughed out loud at his words. Derek raised his head off the desk slightly, pouting as he realized she was making fun of his statement.

"Hey," he said defensively, his eyebrows scrunched together. "What's so funny?"

"You," she said, still repressing some leftover laughter. When he was silent, she went on, managing to control her voice again. "Sorry. It's just that... you lose to Rebecca when it comes to Go Fish, and you're bragging because you beat your co-worker? I've seen Becca kick both your sorry butts at _chess_, Derek. And she's only five years old."

"I let her win," Derek defended, leaning back in his chair and crossing both arms across his chest, cradling the phone between his neck and his shoulder. "And that's besides the point. The main issue here is that you expect me to drop my work and go pick up our daughter, when you're just as capable as I am of doing so."

There was silence, and for a brief moment he worried that he had gotten her mad at him. He felt his body tense, and he was worried for a second that he had just dug himself in deeper than he could dig himself out of. When Casey got mad, it was like an epic explosion. She couldn't just tell him that she was angry with him, and then get over it. No, Casey had always been famous for going full out, and not speaking to him for a day or two. And while he understood that she had work to do just like he did, he still felt that he had to be difficult. Who else would test the levels of her sanity, if not him?

Just when he was beginning to wonder how long there would be until the yelling began, her voice broke through the silence, but not in the way he had expected. When she spoke, her voice was soft and pleading, and he knew within an instant that he was a goner.

"Derek, baby," she cooed, using her best sweet voice to lure him into doing what she wanted.

"Don't do that," he begged, shaking his head pointlessly as he swallowed back the panic in his throat. "Come on, you know how I am with the sweet voice."

"I just want you to do me this one little favour," she said, and he could tell by the tone of her voice that she was pouting. "_One_ little favour, and I promise I'll be nice for the rest of the day."

"I doubt that," he said, but she went on as though she hadn't heard him.

"Come on, Derek," she begged him, and he closed his eyes as he attempted to close himself off to temptation. "I bet Becca is probably just sitting in that office waiting for her daddy to come and-"

"Alright!" he cried, his eyes flying open as he threaded his fingers through his hair with frustration. "Enough with the pleading already! I'll go get Andrew, and we'll go pick up Becca and meet you at the house around suppertime. Good enough for you?"

Casey instantly cheered up, and he rolled his eyes at the sound of her upbeat voice on the other end of the line.

"Perfect," she practically chirped, clearly pleased with herself. "Thanks baby. I've got to go to class now, but this really means alot. Tell Becca I'll be home to see her in a few hours."

"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, pouting at his lack of self-control. How had he given into her so easily? He had been so determined to stay in control, and now here he was... giving into her demands, as usual.

"Love you!" he heard her say, and he rolled his eyes, knowing that not returning the message would just get her angry with him again.

"Yeah, love you too," was all he said, and then he hung up the phone before she had a chance to pull anything else out of him. He pushed his chair back away from his desk, glaring at whatever he saw as he walked straight out of his office, and right into Andrew's. He paused in the doorframe, knowing that no words would be needed to explain why this was here. This was something that happened whenever Casey needed a favour, and he knew that Andrew would have no questions as to why Derek was standing in his doorway, coat in hand, and frustration in his eyes.

Andrew Wallace heard him in the doorway, and he turned, a knowing grin already forming on his lips.

"Casey?" he asked, and when Derek only nodded, he laughed, shaking his head at his co-worker's predictable ability to be suckered into these things by his girlfriend.

"You're whipped, my friend."

"Don't remind me."

And without another word, Andrew pressed the power button on his computer to shut things down for the day. In a flash, he had grabbed his own jacket, and was flicking off the lights as he followed Derek right out his office door.

- - - -

Derek and Andrew showed up at the daycare center about twenty minutes later, after taking several questionable shortcuts along the way. Derek had never changed his ways over the years, when it came to driving, and he still found it perfectly suitable to drive way over the speed limit. Andrew strongly disapproved of Derek's law-breaking road rage, but he had gotten used to sitting in the passenger's seat, and keeping his mouth shut. Derek was much more content this way, and a content Derek made for a peaceful afternoon.

Derek stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked across the parking lot with Andrew, who had decided to come along inside to get Becca. He had a strong bond with the little girl, considering he had known her since birth. He had been named her godfather immediately at the time of her birth, since he had grown so close to the family through Derek's training, and Casey's kidnapping six and a half years ago. He was always inviting the family over for dinner, since he lived alone, and he had become close friends with both Casey and Derek, over the years.

"Sorry about this," Derek apologized, as the wind blew his messy brown hair across his forehead. "Casey just... she has a way of nagging me into these things. She starts pleading and begging and..." Derek trailed off, shuddering at the thought. "It's just wrong, man. No self-respecting man should be as completely and totally whipped as I am when it comes to Casey. I started that conversation with full intention of turning her away, and it went straight downhill from the moment she said my name."

"As so many good conversations do," Andrew teased, smirking a little bit as they approached the doorway of the daycare. "It's no big deal, Derek. If your daughter is sick, we can take her back to your place and work from your laptop for a little while. It's not going to bother me in the slightest. You've got a family to look after- I knew that when I hired you on as my partner."

Reaching for the door handle, Derek smirked at his friend, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you have any idea that my _family_ would include a very controlling and manipulative girlfriend?" he asked knowingly, stepping back to allow Andrew to step in first. He followed behind as the man laughed, shaking his head.

"No," he admitted, knowing it was best to tell the truth. "I can't say I counted on someone else calling all the shots sometimes, but it's cool. It's something you get used to, after six years. And besides, I don't mind coming to get Becca like this. All we've gotta do is get past a couple of little kids, get your girl, and we're out of here. Easy, right?"

As they pulled open the main inside door, they were met with a flurry of activity, and excitement. It appeared that the kids had gone back inside for the afternoon, and there were now children everywhere you looked. The ages only seemed to range up to kindergardeners, since the school day had not officially ended, but Derek was secretly glad that they didn't have to fight their way past a few of the older children. He had learned that bigger kids meant more room for rough play.

Andrew took a step backwards towards the door, which had just swung closed behind them. He watched the crowded room with a shocked expression on his face, looking terrified at the scene in front of him.

"Uh, on second thought, maybe I should wait in the car, you know?" he tried, sounding nervous as he watched a messy-faced toddler giving him a curious look. "Someone should keep an eye on the vehicle, and... and that kid looks like he's going to jump me."

Derek rolled his eyes, not even turning to look at the man behind him. There was a tiny grin on his face as he replied to his partner.

"He's a toddler, Drew."

"He's got jelly on his face!" Andrew exclaimed, watching the kid with a wary expression. "And... is that _paint _on his fingers?"

Rolling his eyes, Derek reached behind him until he felt the rough collar of Andrew's black jacket. He gripped the material tightly in his fist, and grinned as he dragged Andrew away from the door, and into the room, giving him no space or time to escape from his hold.

"Come on," he said, amused by Andrew's obession with cleanliness. When you had a five year old daughter who seemed to have an allergy to soap and water on some days... you learned to put up with the fact that kids were messy. Kids played in mud, kids finger-painted, and they ate their food as though the fork was an invention that had never existed. He had learned to accept that he was going to get messed up from time to time, and it was that very realization that allowed him to put up with the noise and mess of the dozens of toddlers racing around the large play area. Andrew was used to Becca, but Derek knew that he had no kids, and that he could not be expected to put up with multiple numbers of small children at one time.

When Derek reached the office, which was located on the far side of the main room, he realeased Andrew's collar so that he could reach out, and knock against the door twice. He was well aware of the fact that Andrew took a couple of steps away from him, so that he could stand against the wall, but he decided to leave the man there while he went in and retrieved Becca.

When the door swung open, Derek found himself face to face with one of the daycare workers, Amber King. She had been working at the center since they had enrolled Becca at the age of three, and Becca was absolutely obsessed with the young girl. She was blonde and pretty, only in her early twenties, and Becca practically idolized the girl.

"Hey Mr. Venturi," Amber greeted, giving the man a tired smile as she stepped back to allow him inside. "She's just lying down on the sick bed. She's having a pretty rough day."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Amber?" he asked, grinning as he stepped in through the door casually. "Call me Derek. Mr. Venturi makes me feel old. Honestly, do I look grey and wrinkly to you?"

Amber laughed, shaking her head as she scanned his figure subconciously.

"Absolutely not," she muttered under her breath, and when he laughed, she realized that she had spoken out loud. Her eyes met with his, and she turned the deepest shade of red that was imagineable. She cringed, and he knew that she felt embarassed for voicing her thoughts on his physical appearance.

"Sorry," she mumbled, shaking her head awkwardly as she led him back towards the sick room.

Derek laughed, sticking his hands in his pockets as he put on his best casual smirk.

"What can I say?" he questioned, acting as though he was proud of himself for this. "I still got it."

Amber merely laughed in response, before swinging open the door to the sick room. She stepped back to allow Derek to step inside first, and when he did, he was met with the sight of his pride and joy- the most special thing in his life aside from his girlfriend.

"Becca," he greeted, grinning as he spotted the little girl lying on the sick bed. "How's my baby girl?"

"Daddy!"

Becca immediately jumped up, racing over to her father as fast as she could go. Derek bent down to catch her in his arms, and he could only chuckle as he lifted her up, her legs and arms wrapped around his body tightly, as though she had not seen the man in weeks. She was still one of those kids who always had trouble leaving their parents for school or daycare, and he knew that she especially missed them when she was sick, and she had only relative strangers to take care of her.

He could feel her cheeks warm against the side of his head, and he knew that she probably had a bit of a fever, just like she always did when she had the stomach flu.

"Someone's burning up, I see," Derek said, pulling back slightly to place one palm against her forehead. "Did someone take your temperature?"

"Yup," Becca said, trying to sound proud, but her voice was hoarse and week- a result of throwing up all morning, he supposed. "I got a fever!"

Derek turned to Amber, alarmed, but she shook her head, knowing how quickly he could jump into overprotective mode.

"She's only a couple of degrees over a normal body temperature," she reassured him, watching carefully as he relaxed again. "If it doesn't go back down by tomorrow, bring her to the doctor, but for now, just keep a close eye on it. If it hits a hundred, you've got a reason to be worried, but until then..."

"I'll just have to confine her to her bedroom," Derek teased, grinning at his little girl happily. "Complete and total lockdown, huh? I'll put bars on the windows to make sure you can't get out of my sight. Feed you soup broth through a straw, and make you live off of soda crackers and ginger ale. How does that sound?"

Becca blinked at him as though he had gone absolutely insane, and he shrugged innocently, still grinning as he went on.

"That's what your mother forces me through, when I'm sick," he informed her, and she giggled weakly before dropping her head onto his shoulder, her eyes already half closed. Derek gave Amber a wary look, as though he hadn't realized she was this bad, but she merely smiled at him sadly, shaking her head.

"She's fine," she assured the girl's father, obviously sensing his concern for his daughter. "She's just got a stomach flu. A few kids in the centre have already had it this week, so it's highly likely that she got it here, considering she's here every single day for five hours. Kyle and Leah are both out sick with it today, and she's been playing with the two of them all week."

Derek nodded, feeling slightly more reassured, and he dropped a gentle kiss against the little girl's warm forehead as he smiled down at her.

"You ready to go home, baby?" he asked her, and a sleepy nod of the head was all she replied with. He sighed, knowing that it would have to do, before thanking Amber and leaving the room with his daughter up in his arms.

He looked towards the wall where Andrew had last been standing, but was surprised when he saw that his friend had disappeared, while Derek was in the office. For a moment, Derek considered going on out to the car to see if his friend had gotten too overwhelmed and went ahead, but this motivation evaporated into thin air when he caught sight of the tall brown haired man, standing dead smack in the middle of the room. He was surrounded by a couple of over-excited toddlers, who seemed to find Andrew's tape recorder rather interesting. It must have fallen out of his pocket, for the number one rule that Andrew had always reminded him of was to never give away anything that might hint at your profession.

"The man's a criminal genius, but when it comes to kids..."

Derek allowed the rest of the sentence to die away on his lips, before shaking his head and walking right towards the man who was caught in the sea of children. The poor guy looked overwhelmed and flustered, and Derek immediately took pity on him, breaking in through the crowd of kids.

"Okay, let's go. Break it up."

"They're everywhere," Andrew observed, glancing around him fearfully. Derek laughed, watching as the man squirmed uncomfortably under the proximity of the toddlers. As he watched Andrew Wallace try to escape from the swarm of the toddlers, he remembered a time when it was a chore to get the guy to even crack a smile. He could distinctly recall the days in which he had referred to the man as 'Mr. Wallace', back when he was just a client, and Andrew was his investigator. The guy had been serious and stern back then, and it had been all work and no play. He had been a thirty going on fifty, every single day getting more and more predictable, and less stimulating by the minute. He had never laughed, never made a joke- hell, he had barely left the house.

But hanging around Derek and Casey had definitely turned his life around. Once Derek had taken up the offer that had been offered to him- to work alongside the pro and learn the tricks of the trade- a friendship had blossomed between the couple, and Andrew. He had hung around the house more often, and gradually, change had taken place. The man laughed more and more frequently, and he even cracked a joke or two every now and then. He smiled now, and though Derek often teased him- they both knew that he was much more lively than he had been before he had met the Venturis. Being around them had worked wonders for him, in just a few short months.

By the time their daughter, Rebecca Marie Venturi, had been born six months later, Andrew's presence in their house was to be expected. Naming the man as Becca's godfather had been only natural, and if anything were to ever happen to the little girl's rightful parents, there was no doubt that she would be in very safe care with Andrew Wallace. He would gain rightful custody of her if her parents could no longer take care of her, and there was no doubt in Derek or Casey's mind that it was the right choice.

"Derek!" Andrew cried, practically whining this time. "Derek, could you help me out here?"

Derek realized then that his daugher was still in his arms, and that he had the poor man to defend himself. He watched as Andrew turned around in nervous circles, trying his very best not to be frightened by the mess that seemed to tie in with the children circling around him.

Sighing, Derek rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, grasping the sleeve of Andrew's black jacket in his free hand. His other hand still secured his daughter as he removed the object of the children's attention- the tape recorder- from the man's hand, stowing it safely in the front pocket of the black jacket. He grinned at Andrew and patted the pocket pointedly, winking at him.

"Rule number one," he mimicked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "Never do anything that could give away your true profession."

Without another word, he turned and walked towards the doorway, Becca's head leaning against his shoulder as she drifted off to sleep. He did not wait for his friend to follow, but he could practically sense the way Andrew rolled his eyes at Derek's words, before giving in and following behind wordlessly.

- - - -

"And so I told him we're going to have to put him on a waiting list," Andrew said, using his pen to draw a circle around a name on the piece of paper attatched to the clipboard in front of him. He tapped the name twice, as though making a point, before leaning back in the plastic garden chair, shaking his head.

"I just don't understand why some people waste their money," he said, shrugging his shoulders as he dropped the clipboard onto his lap. His head fell back as his eyes fell closed, and his sandy brown hair blew across his forehead in messy strands, the wind giving them a mind of their own. He slowly lifted his face back up to look at Derek, his eyes opening as he gave an annoyed laugh.

"Seriously, he's hiring a private investigator to find out which neighbour has been stealing his _newspapers_?"

Derek laughed at the very thought of it, and Andrew shook his head as he pressed both hands against his face, squeezing his temples out of frustration.

"Really, we should start to consider a new screening process," he said, shaking his head with a heavy sigh. "All the guy has to do is stand in his window, and he'll see who's taking the stupid paper. He doesn't need to spend a couple hundred dollars for us to tell him that. I'd take pity on the poor guy, if I thought he had even an ounce of common sense in his head."

"You're gonna have to take that case," Derek decided, glancing down at his own list of potential clients. "I go by urgency of the case, and I don't think _that _particular case will ever come close to ranking as urgent, for me. Besides, you know me. I'd show up at his house, take one look at him, and-"

"-burst into laughter, right," Andrew finished for him, rolling his eyes at his friend's lack of dedication, when it came to idiotic people. "How could I forget? I don't think I'll ever recover from the time you laughed at poor Mrs. Frampton. Honestly, Derek. All the poor woman wanted for us to get her cat out of the tree for her."

"We're investigartors, not _firefighters_," Derek said, as loudly as he would allow himself, considering they were sitting on the back patio- within hearing distance of any nosy neighbours. They would normally do this sort of work inside the house, but Becca had insisted that it was too hot indoors, and that she wanted to go outside in the backyard to cool down. It wasn't all that much cooler outdoors, but it was nice enough that Becca could sit at the glass table on the other side of the patio, and do her homework with a bit of a breeze fluttering along her otherwise fevered cheeks. Derek would much rather that the little girl took her afternoon off to get some sleep, so that she might feel a little bit better by the time her mother got home. But no daughter of Casey's would leave homework undone, no matter what grade level.

"Daddy?" Becca questioned, tapping her crayon against the table thoughtfully. "Should the circle be blue, or yellow?"

"What do the instructions say, baby girl?" Derek replied lazily, not even bothering to glance over his shoulder. Casey had taught their daughter to read at quite an early age. Figures.

"They don't say anything!" Becca said, as though it were obvious. She turned slightly in her chair to face her father, raising an eyebrow. "It says we can pick _any _colour!"

"Blue then," Derek decided at random, giving a dismissive wave of the hand.

Becca flashed her father a dazzling smile, before flipping her brown hair over her shoulder and turning back to her assignment.

"Yellow."

Derek rolled his eyes, noting once more that- while his daughter adored him- she had definitely inherited Casey's stubborn side.

"Whatever," he muttered under his breath, not bothering to argue with her. If there was one thing Derek had learned about having his own family, it was that he was a goner when it came to arguments. Casey could break him down with kisses and pleading stares, and all Becca really had to do was smile at him in just the right way. He couldn't recall the last time that he had won a fight with either of his girls.

Andrew shook his head, before dropping his pen onto the clipboard on his lap, wiping a bit of sweat off of his forehead with his sleeve.

"When did it get so hot out?" he questioned, reaching for the tall glass of lemonade to his right. He took a huge gulp of it, before placing the glass down again, his eyes closed happily.

"I have to admit- Case makes a mean glass of lemonade," he said, giving Derek a grin. "The last time I had lemonade at your place, I was questioning whether it could have been mixed up with vinegar. That was the weekend Casey went out of town, remember?"

Derek had a quick flashback to a weekend of empty pizza boxes, overflowing laundry baskets and sinks filled to the brim with dishes. He cringed at the memory of being stuck with all the responsibility, before nodding his head, his eyes still half squinted.

"I can remember that," he muttered, his voice the exact opposite of nostalgic- as though he would rather forget that weekend. "Too vividly, thanks. Moving on?"

"Daddy?"

Derek rolled his eyes, wondering which choice of colours would be pinned against him this time. He knew that his opinion would not be factored into her choice in the long run, so he knew that there was no point in picking the colour he really wanted.

"Yes, baby girl?" he replied, sounding as cheerful as he possibly could be under the blistering heat, and the pestering questions.

"There was someone over by the gate," she chirped innocently, already preoccupied with her colouring again. Derek's eyebrows furrowed together, and he cocked his head slightly to the side, so that he could hear his little girl better.

"What was that, Beck?" he questioned, thinking that he must have heard her wrong. "What did you just say?"

The little girl put down her blue crayon, replacing it with the pink one that had been lying to her right.

"I said there was someone by the gate," she shrugged, as though this were no big deal. "Looking over, y'know? Just a couple o' seconds ago."

Andrew and Derek shared a quick glance, and it was a silent yet mutual decision for them to check it out. Becca barely even noticed the two men breezing by her, for she was too busy with her homework assignment to pay much attention to Derek and Andrew's crazy quirks and ideas. She had learned from her mother that it was just best to ignore the men when they acted in silently agreed unison, like this.

"The gate, she said?" Andrew questioned, drifting automatically towards the direction the little girl had dictated. "You expecting anyone?"

Derek shook his head, his eyebrows still furrowed together as a dark look crossed his face.

It was probably nothing. Becca had been known to have a very vivid imagination from time to time, and they _did_ have some very nosy neighbours. It wouldn't be the first time that Mrs. Hennessy popped her head over the fence just to make sure the Venturi's garden hadn't grown more beautiful and splendid than her own. Not like Derek or Casey were really avid gardeners, or anything.

But if there was one thing Derek had learned since the whole ordeal seven years ago, it was to always be alert- and something that he had learned from Andrew- never rule anything out. He would never chance anything or anyone bringing harm to Casey again. He had watched her suffer through unbearable pain- through beatings and torture- and that was something that he chose not to relive. It had taken her two years of therapy to even begin to move on from what had happened to her, and the nightmares...

He shuddered away from the thought. He could not pretend like it was not painful to wake up in the middle of the night to your girlfriend whimpering and twitching beside you, overwhelmed with the memories of her past- of her own kidnapping. He couldn't pretend he was under control as he shook her shoulders as gently as possible, begging her to wake up- that it was all over, just a dream now- a distant memory.

And he most definitely couldn't pretend that it didn't absolutely _kill_ him- just tear at his heart- to hear the words that escaped her lips in a desperate murmer as she thrashed violently against her pillows, Derek's daft hands trying to calm her down from her frenzy.

'_Help me, Derek!'_ she would cry, her face screwed up in agony as he tried to do just that for her. '_Why aren't you helping me?'_

The words brought back the most painful of his days- some of the most painful memories he had ever encountered. He was sure that he would carry these things to the grave and beyond, for such things could never be forgotten. The sound of her voice over the phone, demanding to know why he wasn't there to help her, accusing him of standing by and doing nothing, while he would give his own life to save hers... well, that was something he had never gotten over.

And it was his determination to avoid a repeat of that situation that made him so alert to every little detail of a situation- that made him want to check out _everything_, to make sure it was safe.

He would not allow his family to suffer, on his terms.

He had barely realized that they had reached the gate when he heard Andrew speak up to his left, shaking his head with a small frown on his face.

"Nobody's there," he noted, glancing around once more for good measure. "Driveway is empty too."

Derek scanned the area himself, his eyes still narrowed as he glanced around to ensure that his friend was correct in saying this. When he saw that Andrew had evaluated the situation correctly, and that there was really no one there, he found it much easier to breathe out a sigh of relief, and relax his shoulders into a gentle slump. He was never totally reassured until he had seen something for himself, but the emptiness surrounding his house was enough to convince him of the truth; Becca's imagination had been running away with her again.

"All clear," Andrew sighed, running a hand through his hair as he gave a nervous chuckle, turning away from the fence. "Kids, right?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way back towards the patio, making some sort of joking comment towards Rebecca about how she had to learn to keep her imagination from running wild, from time to time. Derek was, at first, completely set on turning and following his friend, but a loud noise sounding in front of the house was enough to stop him in his tracks, and reevaluate his decision.

It was apparant that Andrew had heard nothing, or if he had, he didn't think anything of it. He was still laughing and joking with Rebecca about what a creative imagination the girl had. And while Derek heard Andrew's comments to his daughter, he made no jokes of his own towards the little girl sitting on the patio chair- the same girl who was now _swearing_ that she had spotted someone glancing over the fence just moments before. Andrew merely dismissed these comments with a disbelieving nod of the head, and a quick '_of course you did.'_

But Derek said nothing to either of them. Because while Andrew may have been in this profession for a whole lot longer than Derek had, he was sometimes the less observant of the two. It was a well known fact that Derek clued in on all of the little details- the ones that could so very easily be overlooked by the naked eye. Those who knew Derek might say that he was lazy and careless, but such an assumption could only be made based on his attitude. Anyone who knew Derek for his _work ethic_, on the other hand, would admit that he had a knack for paying close attention to the little things- the things that might make a huge difference in the end. Derek Venturi was prone to picking out the smallest of details, of twisting and turning everything so that he could examine it from every possible angle imagineable. And sometimes it was those very small details that brought them to victory. More than often, they just needed one little push in the right direction, to get them going.

And while this intuition of his often led him into trouble along the way, he knew that he should listen to his senses in times like these. And right now, his senses were telling him that this had not been Becca's imagination at all.

After all, why would somebody who had nothing to hide be so eager to get out of the way of any public eye? The car that had just pulled away from the curb in front of Derek's house had been quick enough to take off with an ear-splitting screech, and this was something that Derek was not accustomed to. If his years as an investigator had taught him anything, it was never to rule anything out.

And right now, he was definitely thinking that his daughter was onto something, for once.

- - - -

While Derek had not forgotten about the backyard incident that afternoon, he had allowed himself to move past it, and enjoy himself as he laughed and joked with Andrew and his daughter for the remainder of the afternoon. They had remained on the patio until dinnertime, the cool breeze giving them all the motivation they needed to stay exactly where they were. When Becca finished off her homework, she had curled up on her father's lap, her arms wound tightly around his neck as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder. Her fevered body was way too warm against his, but when she finally fell asleep against his chest, he knew that it would be cruel to wake her. She had been complaining about her stomach all afternoon, though she had only been required to make two trips to the bathroom. Derek was pretty sure that all of the contents of her stomach had been emptied since this morning, and that she had absolutely nothing left to throw up. He knew that Casey would get her to eat something when he got home, so for the time being, he decided to let her get a few hours of sleep in her father's arms.

By the time Casey arrived home from work, it was already five o'clock, and the men were sitting at the kitchen table, laughing and talking about the most recent hockey game. Andrew had missed the game due to some school play of his nephew's, and he was more than happy for Derek to fill him in on all the key points of the game, while he silently cursed his nephew for being so involved in the performing arts.

The only one missing from the picture when Casey walked into the kitchen at dinnertime was her daughter, who had gone out to the couch to take a nap before dinner, in hopes that she would actually be able to keep something down. Derek had a feeling that the little girl's dinner would consist of soup, and some soda crackers, the same as his plate was always filled with when he was sick. If there was one thing Casey knew how to do, it was nursing people back to their full health. She was _annoyingly_ good at it, and by the end of your illness, you were half wishing that she would just disappear, but it was always worth it once you were better.

Derek and Andrew were just chatting about the hockey game, when Casey finally spoke up, her voice strangely quiet and oddly reserved.

"Kendra called me at work today," Casey said casually, though he could almost sense a hinting nature to her voice. "Seems like Brad finally decided to propose to her. They're getting married, and she wants us to come to the wedding next summer."

"About time," Derek shrugged, grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl in front of him. "They've been together... what? Ten years?"

"Two," she corrected quietly, taking a seat in the chair across from Andrew, her eyes fixed on Derek. "That's four and a half years less than me and you have been together."

Her voice was once again oddly strained, and he got the impression that she was trying to tell him something without actually saying it. Even Andrew seemed to be fixing him with a pointed stare, one that suggested that he was in on this too. He looked back and forth between Andrew and Casey, his mouth hanging half open to reveal a collection of half-chewed chips.

"What?" he asked, the words muffled through a mouthful of food.

Casey rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest as she leaned back against her chair. He knew immediately that he had said the wrong thing, and he dropped his hands to the table, frustrated with the two of them for assuming that he could read their minds.

"What did I do now?" he questioned, after he had swallowed the chips. "Honestly- do you two just assume that I _know _what you're thinking? Sorry, but not all of us are freakin' psyhcic."

"Nobody here is _psychic_, Derek," Casey said, unfolding her arms so that she could lean towards him slightly. The anger in her eyes worried him, and he knew immediately that the emotion went way past him not understanding what was going on. There was a much deeper reasoning behind her anger, but he still didn't have the faintest idea what it could be about.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said hesitantly, frowning when he saw that she was waiting was for something. "You're looking at me like I'm the world's biggest idiot or something. It's driving me crazy."

Andrew snorted, grabbing a handful of chips for himself.

"That ship has already sailed," he commented, and Derek shot a glare at the man he called friend, shaking his head bitterly.

"You know, I liked you a whole lot better _before_ you developed this sense of humour," he remarked, scowling. Andrew grinned, shrugging, and Derek allowed himself to turn back to his girlfriend, determined to put a smile on her face.

"You know..." he began, smirking as he leaned a little bit closer to her. "If you don't turn that frown upside down, my lips are gonna have to do it for you."

Andrew choked over the chips he had been trying to swallow, and it was all Derek could do not to laugh at the man's misfortune. Casey herself tossed Andrew a side glance, acknowledging his situation, but he didn't hold her attention long enough for her to ask if he was alright. Before he even had the chance to draw in any air, Casey had turned back to Derek with a pout defining her cherry lips.

"You're walking on dangerous waters, you know that, right?"

Any normal man would've had the sense to back down at the undertone in her voice, one that suggested he was moments away from experiencing very severe pain. Anyone with half a brain would've understood that it was time to back down and let Casey cool off for a few minutes.

But Derek Venturi had never gone by the rules, and he definitely preferred to shy away from being anything close to normal. And it was that exact mentality and stupidity that caused him to scrape his chair a bit closer to hers, and fix her with his best smirk.

"Dangerous waters, huh?" he speculated, raising an eyebrow at the girl. He chuckled lightly, almost musically. "That's okay- I'm a good swimmer."

Casey raised an eyebrow back at him, folding her arms across her back as she straightened up against the back of the chair.

"What if someone's holding your head underwater?" she bit out coldly, though he could've sworn there was an undertone of sarcasm in her voice.

He hesitated, thinking that one over in his head. She was watching him with the smallest hint of a smirk on her lips, apparantly under the impression that she had him fooled. Clearly, she had forgotten that Derek Venturi never backed down in an argument, and that he would definitely never let a girl defeat him intentionally.

"It's kinda hard to hold my head underwater if you're kissing me," he got out, winking at her as though proving his point. "And really- you know you want to."

Casey stared at him blankly, and Andrew- who had apparantly gotten his breathing under control again- blinked at him a couple of times, his eyebrows furrowed together with disgust.

"Ew," he got out, shaking his head, before turning away from Derek and reaching for another handful of chips.

Instead of answering Derek and giving the two of them more to fight about, Casey changed the object of her wrath. She must have spotted Andrew's hand reaching for the chip bowl- she had always had excellent vision- and before either man knew what was happening, the chips were gone, and Andrew had recoiled his hand in what appeared to be pain. He was scowling, a hurt expression on his face as he cradled his slapped hand, and Casey had the bowl of chips held towards her as she scowled darkly at the men.

"Case!" Derek cried, his mouth wide with shock as he realized what she had done. "You can't just... the _chips_!"

"You're having dinner soon," she argued, pushing her chair back so that she could stand up. Once she was back on solid ground, she crossed the kitchen and placed the bowl down on the counter, where she could keep an eye on it while she prepared dinner for the men. Before either of the men had a chance to respond to her, she was ruffling through the fridge, her backside the only part visible on her body. Derek raised an eyebrow as he listened to her mutter to herself about the immaturity of the male species, and he rolled his eyes as he turned back to Andrew, who was still in shock over how quickly Casey had turned demon, on him.

"Word of advice, dude," Derek muttered, folding his arms across his chest as he slumped down in his chair. "_Never_ get married."

Andrew started to nod in response, and he might have given a verbal reply, if Casey had not snapped for the second time. Before either man knew what had happened, she had whirled around, her eyes burning with an emotion that Derek could not quite describe in one word.

"You're _not _married!" she practically cried at him, and before he could react, she had stormed across the kitchen with the chip bowl clutched angrily in her trembling hands. He eyed the dish suspiciously, for years of mood-swings had taught him to never trust a woman with a hard dish. Plastic and paper dishes- that was the way to go, when dealing with a girl like Casey.

"Uh, Case?" he questioned, surprised by the anxious tone of his voice. "What are you doing with- _Casey_!"

He had not been given the chance to finish his statement, because before he could even get the final words out, there were chips all over his head, and falling down into his lap. Some missed his head entirely and fell to the floor, while the crumbs and greasier pieces chose to stick to his hair and shirt. He might have spoken, if he was not in such complete and total shock over what his girlfriend had just done to him. He was a complete mess from head to toe, and it was all he could do not to break down and yell at her then and there. If it had been anyone else, he very well might have... but not Casey. He didn't think yelling would help his case much, at this point.

Andrew was observing the situation with wide eyes, and his eyes flickered back and forth between the couple as he waited for someone to break the silence. Neither of his friends even acknowledged his existance, for they were both too busy staring right into each others eyes, the anger and intensity thick in the air. It was obvious that neither of them wanted to be the one to make the first rude comment, and it was that mentality that forced Casey to clutch the bowl tighter in her hands, and cross the kitchen to place it down on the counter. She had been a little bit rough, and the bowl spun in place for a moment or two, before falling silent completely.

And by the time it had stopped, Casey's footsteps could already be heard halfway up the stairs.

* * *

**Review if you want me to continue? I warn you- you're in for a bumpy ride with this one!! **


	2. Threats

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Two: Threats**

By eight o'clock that evening, Casey's anger had pretty much completely dissolved, and she seemed to be okay with him again. She had frozen him out during dinner, speaking only to Andrew and her daughter. He had hoped that her anger would fizzle out once their guest was gone, but when Andrew had left to go home, she had quietly retreated to their bedroom, making a point of slamming the door so hard that the walls shook in the aftermath of her actions.

He wasn't even sure what she was so angry about. He had been thinking about it all throughout dinner, while he tried to avoid the death glares that she was shooting his way. As hard as he racked his mind for answers, he could not think of anything that he could have done to make her so angry with him. He had made that little comment about marriage, sure... but why should that offend her? It wasn't like he had been serious about it, and besides- she was right. They weren't even married.

It wasn't that he hadn't ever thought about proposing to her, of course. Being together with Casey for the past six and a half years had definitely brought with it thoughts of final committment. He had been able to ignore her hints at first, trying to ignore the fact that alot of her friends had been getting married, and that alot of _his_ friends saw fit to propose to their girlfriends, especially when said girlriend was pregnant.

But Rebecca's birth had come and gone without so much as an engagement ring, and he had tried his hardest to to sit through their friend's weddings without letting too much guilt show through on his features.

But it was hard. He knew that she expected this sort of committment from him, and he knew that- by now- it was long overdue. He should have proposed to Casey years ago, probably even before their daughter was born. It was never a matter of whether or not she would say yes or no, because the answer to such a question was so obvious. Casey was completely in love with Derek, and he would bet his life's earnings on the fact that she would marry him in a heartbeat.

But the idea of marriage scared him, to be honest. Not because of the whole committment thing, no. He had heard so many men complain about having to give up their rights to other women, in order to get married, but that didn't phase Derek in the slightest. He had long ago given up his privileges to see other girls, and he didn't have a problem with it at all. As long as he had Casey, he knew that he could manage just fine in the world. His rights to other girls was not even an issue, when it came to marriage.

His only fear was something completely irrational, the most pathetic of excuses he could summon up, but it was all that he could come up with, when he tried to come up with a reasoning behind his lack of action. As stupid and immature as it sounded, the only thing he was really afraid of was failure. Failure, and complete and total destruction of everything he shared with Casey.

Stupid, yes. Logical, sure. Derek had been there to witness marriage at its worst, when his own parents marriage had started to deteriorate. His parents hadn't gotten married until he was five years old, and in his opinion, proposing was the worst thing his father ever could have done. Life before the marriage had been amazing for all four of them. Edwin had been somewhere between baby and toddlerhood, he had been a carefree preschooler, and his parents... well, the memories he had of his parents were almost a mirror image of everything he shared with Casey. Inside jokes, stupid little tickle fights, the way the both of them practically glowed under each other's presence...

It was times like these when he had to question how on earth his parents had ever gotten divorced. They had seemed to be perfect for each other, but once they had tied the knot, it was like everything they had worked so hard to build, was suddenly crashing down beneath them. He could remember vividly, how easily their marriage had begun to deteriorate, as if it had been happening all along. The fights had started on a very small scale- arguments over transportation, money, or the shower- but it had eventually escalated to fights over why they had gotten together in the first place, or who was to blame for all of the fighting they were doing.

He could remember sitting huddled in his room, a scared and anxious ten year old, wondering if the fighting was ever going to stop. He would try to protect his younger brother from their fighting, try to shield the arguments from his baby sister's ears, but nothing had ever worked. Even a newborn Marti had sensed that she was a member of a very unstable, and a very unhappy home. The fighting had gone on day in and day out, around the clock, to the extent that Derek half wished he was deaf, just so he wouldn't have to listen to them fighting, anymore.

And then, just as suddenly, before Derek had really registered what had happened, they were divorced, and he was living with his father and his siblings, wondering what had gone wrong. They had walked away from each other just like that, claiming that it would be 'best for everyone', this way. They had given up on their marriage, just like Casey's parents had. Just like three of his uncles had, and two of his cousins before him. It was like marriage had torn apart every great couple he knew, every couple that he had thought would last. He would have never thought that his parents would be a target for divorce, but yet here he was... with a divorced mother, and a remarried father. His family was living and breathing proof that divorce could happen to even the strongest of couples.

And honestly, that terrified him. He would probably never admit to this irrational little fear of his, and he knew that he was a coward for feeling this way, but he automatically shyed away from anything that could tear him away from Casey, marriage included. They were perfectly happy with their lives now, and a large part of him did not want to chance what had been the beginning of the end for everyone else in his life. He would rather never marry Casey, and be able to hold her in his arms everyday for the rest of his life, than marry her and end up reaching the point where they could not stay together, any longer.

He frowned, pressing his fingers tenderly against his temple, trying to rid himself of the persistant headache he was starting to get. He knew that he really had to stop thinking about things like this so much, for all it ever brought was more confusion. He knew that he would eventually get over his irrational little fear, and propose to her. He had plenty of time, after all.

"Derek?"

He was brought out of his deep thinking by the sound of his girlfriend's voice behind him, soft and concerned. He turned, his eyes questioning, and he saw that she was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, biting her lip as she watched him with interest. He was sitting on the edge of their bed, his back to her, facing the window, but when he saw her, he gave a little jerk of the head, as though motioning for her to come over and join him.

She was quick to oblige. She took the final step into the bedroom, closing the door quietly very quietly behind her, as not to wake their daughter. He smiled at the sight of her, dressed in her pink and white pajama pants, and her old high school hoodie. Her long brown hair fell straight past her shoulders, and she returned his smile as she slipped into the spot next to him, placing her hand against his knee.

"You look pretty thoughtful," she observed, her voice questioning. "Thinking about anything important?"

Not wanting to get back onto the subject of marriage with her again, he shook his head, reaching down to place his warm hand over hers against his knee. He kept his eyes focused on her face as he sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"It's nothing too important, really," he said, before quickly changing the subject. "Is Beck asleep?"

Casey looked momentarily taken aback by his choice to change the subject, but she quickly nodded her head, forcing herself to smile at him. It was apparant that she didn't want to continue arguing with him anymore than he did with her. He was relieved by this, and tuned back into whatever it was she was saying.

"She was really tired," Casey informed him, sounding slightly tired herself. "Poor kid. I don't think she'll be in school tomorrow, so you'll either have to bring her to work with you, or we'll have to get a babysitter."

"She can come to work with me, if she wants," Derek said, shrugging his shoulders carelessly. "She's always good, and Drew doesn't mind her being there."

Casey nodded her head to confirm that this was alright with her, before pulling her hand out from underneath his, and flopping back down onto the bed, fixing her eyes blankly against the white of their bedroom ceiling. Derek quickly followed her lead, clasping his hand in hers again as he lay down next to her, tilting his head slightly so that he could see her. She looked so innocent now, and there were no leftover traces of her earlier fury, much to his relief. He hated it when she got that angry at him, and he knew full well that he should apologize for what he had done.

If only he wasn't so bad with apologies.

"Uh, Casey?"

She turned her head in response to his voice, but before he could so much as think of what he wanted to say, he heard a cellphone going off in the living room beneath them. He listened intently for a moment, before recognizing the ringer as his own, and groaning, closing his eyes. This was definitely one way out of coming up with an apology, but it also made spending time with Casey increasingly hard. By the time he came back upstairs, she'd probably be busy with paperwork, or some other boring 'Casey' activity.

But he had missed an entire afternoon of work, and he knew that it could be just about any last one of his clients. And if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was never to ignore a call from a client. He shuddered to think of what might have happened if Andrew had ignored one of _his_ calls, back when Derek had merely been a client.

"I've gotta go answer that," he mumbled, pressing his hands against his forehead, shutting his eyes tight. "Might be important."

"Mmm, really?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow innocently as she placed one hand against his chest, looking up at him with gentle eyes. "_How_ important, exactly?"

She trailed her hands down then, her fingers tugging at the hem of his green and white shirt, and his eyes flew open, his head tilting towards her automatically. He saw the beginnings of a smirk forming on her lips, and he shook his head desperately at her, knowing what game she was going to try. He could not afford to let her mess with his mind like this; not tonight.

"That's not fair," he argued, shaking his head at her as he struggled to remain composed, and under control. "You know I can't say no to you when you act like that."

She raised an eyebrow, and he could have sworn that there was the tiniest hint of a smug smile on her lips, now.

"When I act like what, precisely?"

He nodded towards her hands, struggling to find the right words to explain himself fluently, without rambling.

"You know," he said, screwing his face up under the effort he was exerting. "Doing _that_!"

The phone was still ringing downstairs, and it occured to Derek that it _must_ be important, if someone were willing to wait on the line this long to reach him. Any normal person would've given up after just a couple of rings, but whoever this was seemed absolutely desperate to get ahold of him. This did nothing to alleviate his temptation to stay with Casey, but it _did _give him a slight sense of what was more important, right about now.

Sighing, he gathered together every inch of his self control, and wrapped his larger hands around her wrists, enclosing them within his grasp. He smiled slightly as he shook his head at her, and moved her hands away from his shirt, placing them at her sides gently. She pouted up at him, obviously not approving of this action, but he merely leaned down towards her, pressing his lips to hers in a sweet and simple kiss. It was short-lived, and he knew that she wanted nothing more than to continue. Hell, _he_ wanted nothing more than to continue.

But there would be time for that later. When the time was right, he had to act as a professional, and do his job to the best of his ability.

With this in mind, he pulled back from Casey, his hands still gripping her waist gently as he hovered over her, a gentle smile against his lips. She shot him one more begging look, and it took everything he had to shake his head, and press one last kiss against her forehead. She gave him a defeated smile, and he pulled back, winking at her suggestively as he pulled himself up off of the bed. She looked as though she was very comfortable with where she was- as though she just might be comfortable enough to stay and wait for his return.

He took this as a good sign. It was always best to keep her wanting more, right?

"I'll be back soon," he assured her, backing up towards the door with a smirk against his lips. He winked one last time, for effect. "I promise."

"You'd better," was all she replied with, and after flashing a final smile in her direction, he darted out the door, and down over the stairs towards their living room. He could still hear the phone ringing loud and clear, something that surprised him. He knew that clients would often wait awhile for him to pick up the phone, but really- his phone had been ringing for at least a minute and a half. What could be so important that someone would stay on the line for _this_ long?

When he finally reached his cellphone, he snatched it up quickly, wanting a chance to answer it before whoever it was gave up and hung up. Honestly, he wouldn't blame them, but he might as well have left Casey to come down here for _something_, right?

He glanced down at the screen on the phone, squinting to see what number was showing up. It took him a moment to realize that whoever was calling was phoning him from a blocked ID, something that he openly despised about technology. While blocked ID's came in handy in his line of work sometimes, it was often something that he was forced to work against- something that gave him alot of trouble, in the long run.

But from his experience with blocked calls during the evening... well, he had discovered that they were usually nothing more than some super bored kids making prank calls, needing something to do while they avoided completing their homework.

Scowling, he held down the talk key, well prepared to tell the little prankster to go to hell, if needed. He still inspired alot of fear, when he spoke in just the right tone; that much was for sure.

"Hello?" he got out, trying not to sound too annoyed from the get go, just in case there was a misunderstanding, and it actually was one of his clients.

"Took you quite a long time to answer the phone, didn't it?"

Derek didn't get freaked out easily. It had always been a rule of his that he didn't allow anything to give him pause, that nothing could take him by surprise. In his field of work, it was important to never let your gaurd down- not even for a second. Doing so could result in a lapse of attention to detail, which could ultimately change the outcome of just about any case.

But there was something in this voice that absolutely chilled Derek right to the bone. It was like he had been born a mortal enemy to the person on the other end of the phone line- as though he had been destined to despise the voice coming over the other end of the line.

He didn't understand, because the voice wasn't even distinctly creepy at all. On the contrary, the voice was smooth and casual- musical almost. It was a man's voice, that much was obvious, and he sounded like one of those famous movie stars, the kind who's voice could make just about any girl's heart skip a beat or two, and make just about any guy in the theatre jealous with rage, as they watched.

No, the voice was not creepy in the slightest, but something about the way this man spoke was chilling, to Derek. Even now, in the moments after the initial greeting, he could feel the goosebumps rising on his arms, a reminder that he really had heard the chilling voice- this was not a dream in the slightest.

"Who is this?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed as he made his way into the kitchen, pulling the glass door closed behind him. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, but for whatever reason, he felt as though Casey should not be able to hear even his side of this conversation. If she had been able to hear his cellphone ringing from their bedroom, she would hear his voice, no doubt about that.

And he didn't want to worry her in the slightest, not anymore than he had to.

"Let's just say I'm an... how shall we say this?" the man questioned, before chuckling, an absent-minded edge to his voice as he spoke again. "I'm an old friend of a friend of yours."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together at the choice of words, and for some reason, he could read through the lines, and pick up on the fact that this "old friend of a friend" was really probably an old friend of an _enemy's_, as opposed to someone Derek was actually friendly with. He knew that the list of his enemies was practically endless; he had put alot of people in jail, in his years as a private investigator, and there were alot of people who would love to see him pay dearly for their loved one's imprisonment, no matter how justified it was.

"I don't have time for this garbage," he got out, rolling his eyes as he clutched the phone a little tighter to his ear, trying to act cool and collective. "So really, unless you've got something important to say to me, this conversation is through."

An awkward silence fell between the two phone-mates, and for a brief moment, Derek considered just hanging up the phone. This person was obviously trying to mess with his mind, and really, he wasn't in the mood for any mind-games tonight. He had much bigger things to be focusing his mind on- most importantly his girlfriend, who was waiting for him upstairs.

When the person on the other line remained silent, he gave a frustrated sigh, before sliding his finger over the end key, well prepared to hang up.

"Whatever," he muttered, but before he could hang up from the call, the voice spoke up again, much more rushed and urgent than the first time.

"You keep tabs on your girls, you hear me?" the voice asked, and when it became apparant that Derek wasn't hanging up, they paused, apparantly sensing that they had Derek's full attention again.

Derek's entire body had stiffened at the man's words, chills shooting through his entire being as he acknowledged what had just been said to him. Derek was a strong guy, make no doubt about that. He could face just about anyone and anything, and come out of it with a brave smile on his face, in the end.

No, not much phased Derek Venturi. But anyone who knew him well knew that he had one weakness, and one weakness only. And it was obvious that this stranger had somehow figured out what exactly that weakness was.

"You leave my girls out of this," Derek spat in a low hiss, his fingers clenching the phone so tightly, that he was surprised it did not break under the pressure. He felt his face going blood red, and it was taking everything he had not to start yelling. He might have, if he didn't know that both Casey and Rebecca were upstairs, well within his hearing range, should he choose to raise his voice at his apparant-enemy.

"Let's get one thing straight here," he said, his voice shaking with rage as he leaned against the counter with one hand, struggling to keep himself upright. "You mess with either of them, you mess with me. And I'm not really sure how well you know me, but you _really_ don't wanna mess with me, pal."

The man on the other line was silent for a moment, and Derek could only hope that he had installed some fear into the idiot's mind. He would do just about anything and everything to keep anyone from going near his girlfriend and daughter, and that very well included making very accurate threats, even to strangers.

As the man spoke up again, he gripped the counter a little bit tighter beneath his hold, listening intently to the word's that came over the other line.

"Like I said, you keep a close eye on the two of them," he said, sounding just as smug as before, though perhaps a little shaken. "Wouldn't want anything... er, _unfortunate_ to happen to such pretty little things, would we?"

Derek's hand clenched impossibly tighter around the counter, and before he knew what he was doing, he had whirled around, his fist connecting with the wall beside the back door, his hand desperately searching for some sort of relief that the counter had not provided for him. He heard a distinct crack, but whether the noise was his knuckles, or the wall, he had no idea. He knew that Casey must have heard him, but he could not worry about excuses right now. At the moment, all he could hear over his heavy breathing was the sound of amused laughter from the other end of the line, where his enemy had apparantly heard the crash in the background of Derek's kitchen.

"A little tempermental, are we?"

"You bastard," he got out, his voice impossibly inhuman as he struggled for air, his chest heaving with the effort of it all. "If I find out who this is... if I ever get access to your sorry butt-"

"Sorry to interrupt your empty threats, but I've really got better things to be doing," the man said, and with one more chuckle of amusement, he was gone. Derek waited anxiously, his eyes narrowed angrily as he waited to make sure the other person was really gone from the other line.

The only response he received was the steady beeping of the dialtone, signalling that the person on the other line was gone, and that he was hanging onto an empty call, by now.

He stood there for a moment, his entire body shaking with panic and rage, his mind racing a mile a minute. His palms were sweating, and judging by the throbbing in his right knuckles, he knew that he had done some sort of damage to himself, when he'd punched the wall. He couldn't really bring himself to care much about physical damage, when he had so much more important things on his mind, at the moment.

Someone had threatened him. No, more importantly, someone had threatened his _family_. If he had gotten a phone call containing a personal threat, one that was exclusively meant for him, and him only... that he could handle. He could gladly accept any threats that were uttered, so long as he was the only one being put in danger, due to said threats.

But including Casey and their daughter... that was low. Threatening his girlfriend and his daughter was just below the belt- hitting him right where this guy knew it would hurt the most. Whoever this was had discovered his one true weakness- his one reason for living.

His family. Casey and Rebecca meant the world to him, and the day that anyone brought them to any sort of harm would be the day he'd be up for murder charges, because nobody would live to tell the tale, if they so much as laid a finger on one of his girls. Those two were his main priority, and he didn't care how far he had to go to protect the two of them.

He glanced down at the cellphone in his hands, his eyebrows furrowed together as he contemplated his next move. Five minutes ago, he had been all too eager to get upstairs, and back to making out with his girlfriend, something that had seemed increasingly important, at the time.

But now, he was unsure if he would be able to go upstairs, and face her without telling her the truth. He didn't want to plant any unnecessary fear in her mind until it was absolutely necessary, but he knew that she would recognize instantly that something was up, if she didn't spot his bruised knuckles first.

And when he couldn't turn to Casey, there was only one person he could turn to- one person who could always talk some sense into his usually irrational mind.

It was too dangerous to discuss the matter over the phone, especially with Casey so close by, but he knew what his first move would be in the morning. He would be taking Rebecca to work with him, and he would be dropping Casey off personally, seeing to it that she got in the door of the school alright. He would ensure that she was safe, before taking Becca, and taking them to one of his safe havens- the office. The place had about a thousand security measures around it, and he knew that his little girl would be perfectly safe there, while he went in the other room to discuss this matter personally with the one person who might be able to give him some good advice.

After all, they didn't call Andrew Wallace the best in the business for nothing, right?

* * *

**I had never intended to jump into the plot this soon, but there are ALOT of twists and turns to cover, and I don't want to make this too long. So I thought it would be best not to drag it out. **

**Anyway, next chapter is Dasey, Derek/Becca/Andrew bonding, and some more insight as to who this person may be, and what they want. **

**Review if you want me to update pleasee!**


	3. Witness

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Three: Witness**

Derek had never been the sort of person who would stay up all night tossing and turning over anything. When he went to bed, he usually went right to sleep without a second thought on anything. He had always laughed at Casey back in high school, during the nights she would stay up and stress out over midterms and finals- or due dates for some huge project that she still felt uncertain about.

He had never thought that he would ever be the one awake all night, tossing and turning as he fought to erase horrible pictures from his mind.

His nightmares were much worse than Casey's old fear of getting an A minus on an assignment. He could easily roll his eyes at her foolishness, and laugh it off as nothing. The nightmares that he had experienced the night before had been absolutely terrifying- the most horrible thing that he had ever encountered in his life. It was like his mind had been armed against him- scraping up every last one of his fears and anxieties, and throwing them together to make one greusome nightmare. He had dreamt of his girlfriend and his daughter, begging him for help as faceless men came along and dragged them from the house, stealing them right out from his own two hands. He had been struggling to keep his fingers wrapped around their wrists, but the effort had been too great, and there had been too many of them to fight off.

He had woken up about twelve times, sweating and shaking as Casey and Becca's screams echoed through his mind. Each time, he would turn over, squinting through the darkness as he searched for the figure of his girlfriend lying next to him. Each time he found her, he would wrap an arm around her waist, and press a grateful kiss to the base of her neck, before resting his head against the top of her head and attempting sleep again. It didn't matter how many times he had done this; he had always woken up flat on his back, sweat forming on his forehead as he struggled for air.

Finally, he had given up on any hope of sleeping, and rolled onto his side, his eyes wide open as he held Casey against his chest. He had spent three and a half hours counting every breath she took, trying his hardest to keep his mind off of the phone call he had received earlier that night. He had let his mind wander, and had lost track five times, at which time he would have to start over again.

Needless to say, he had been grateful when she had finally woken up, at around six o'clock, and he had a legitimate excuse to get up along with her.

His lack of sleep had begun to catch up to him by around seven thirty, as he buckled Rebecca into the backseat of their red Eclipse, a very generous gift from his mother, after their old car had been driven off a cliff by the Wilsons. They had a second vehicle, one that was quite similar to their old car, but it was only ever used when Casey drove herself to work and back. When they were going out as a family, they would take the Eclipse, and Derek usually avoided taking the second vehicle out at all.

"How come I can't go to school?" Becca asked, for what felt like the hundreth time that morning. She had spent a good twenty minutes arguing with her mother that she felt 'just fine', and that she didn't want to miss pizza day at school, but both of her parents had put their foot down, claiming that throwing up four times before breakfast did not qualify as 'just fine', with them.

Little did she know that her mother and father had completely different reasons for not wanting her to go to school today.

But Derek knew he would have to go with the more reasonable excuse, as not to give away anything to either of them, so he merely sighed, perching himself against the black interior of their backseat as he snapped her seatbelt buckle into place. When he heard the familiar click, signalling that she was strapped in okay, he gave her a forced smile, reaching out to sweep her soft brown hair away from her fevered forehead.

"You can't go to school when you're sick, baby girl," he reminded her, thinking that she truly was Casey's daughter, if she actually _wanted_ to go to school.

Becca pouted, and he rushed on, sensing a temper tantrum coming up. He absolutely hated it when she threw her little fits, because she always found a way to make him feel incredibly guilty over absolutely nothing.

"But you know what?" he questioned, his hand cupping her cheek gently as he racked his brain for whatever bribes he could summon up. "You're gonna come to work with Daddy today, and your Mom packed a whole bunch of things to keep you busy. You won't even _think_ about school, you'll be having that much fun."

Some of his daughter's anger faded away, and he saw the wheels turning in her mind as she chewed on her lower lip, contemplating this.

"What sorta things did Mommy pack?" she asked, her fingers playing with the seatbelt strap across her chest. "Did she remember my colouring book?"

Derek nodded, flashing her his first genuine smile of the day as he nodded towards her knapsack, which contained an assortment of her things.

"She sure did," he assured her, thanking the heavens that Casey had triple-checked the contents of the bag, making sure she had included everything that Becca would surely ask for. The last thing Derek needed was to turn around and come home today, because she hadn't packed the right Barbie doll, or something.

As if on cue, Becca raised an eyebrow, giving her father a very serious look.

"Did she remember beach Barbie?"

Another nod, and a quick smile signalled that beach Barbie was packed, and ready to go. Becca looked pleased, but continued quite seriously, as though she were double-checking a checklist for some huge vacation, or something.

"My crayons?"

"Check."

"Animal crackers?"

"Yes M'am."

"Vet Barbie?"

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together then. She had him there.

"Uh, vet Barbie?" he questioned, feeling slightly panicked. "I wasn't aware you _had_ a vet Barbie."

There was a brief silence between them, before a huge grin broke out on the little girl's face, and she giggled, shaking her head at her father.

"I _don't_ have a vet Barbie," she assured him, shrugging her shoulders innocently at him. "It was just a test, silly!"

Relief flickered across his features, and he found himself fighting back a smile as he leaned towards the little girl, struggling to give her his best menacing look. He was quite good at acting angry, but he found that he could never quite get it right, when he was trying to use it against one of his girls. Being angry at them just wasn't one of his strong points, even when he was trying to fake it.

Nonetheless, he managed to hold his laughter in pretty well as he raised an eyebrow at the child, his mouth forced into a straight and serious line. The little girl stared back at him with a straight face, her eyes questioning as she scanned her father's features, perhaps thinking that she really was in trouble this time.

"Now Rebecca," he said, keeping his voice steady and firm, being sure to emphasize her full name. "Was that very funny?"

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she bit down on her lower lip to keep from laughing at the fact that she _had _found it extremely funny. She seemed to be avoiding answering him, and he dropped his hand from her cheek, leaning back slightly.

"You know, if you keep doing stuff like that, I'll just have to let the monster sort it out with you."

Becca, God bless her, tried to keep a straight face, but the comfort in her eyes was interrupted with a smidgeon of fear as she tensed against her seat, her eyes widening slightly at the mention of a monster.

"What monster, Daddy?" she asked, her voice a quiet whisper of fear as she waited anxiously for her father to respond to her very pressing question.

Derek leaned closer, glancing around him cautiously as though he were about to reveal the world's biggest secret to her. Becca seemed to sense her father's urgency, and she leaned forwards against the strap of her seatbelt, her eyes wide as she waited for him to respond to her.

Derek's eyes locked with hers, and he leaned in so that their faces were a mere inch apart, so that he could see his own self reflected against the slight fear in her beautiful blue eyes- Casey's eyes. He had always held a strong appreciation for their daughter's perfect blend of the two of them; her father's sandy brown hair, her mother's crystalline blue eyes... she was like a perfect combination of each of their best features.

Knowing that he had teased his little girl enough, he allowed his smile to break through the mask, and he immediately reached out, his hands falling to her waist as he tickled her ribs playfully.

"The tickle monster, of course!" he laughed, his voice barely audible over Rebecca's high pitched giggles. Her chest was heaving with the combination of laughter, and the effort she was exerting to try and breathe, but Derek didn't take any notice as he leaned even further into the car, laughing along with his little girl as she continued to push her hands pointlessly against her father's, trying to get him to stop the tickling.

"Who's laughing now, huh?" he got out, an evil grin pressing against his lips as she struggled uselessly against him, still giggling. "Still think it's so funny, short stuff?"

"Dad_dy_!" she cried, through her fits of laughter. "That's n-not very f-funny!"

"Derek!"

Derek stopped his tickling then, his hands freezing in mid-air as he turned his head to look at his girlfriend, who was standing with one hand against her hip at the end of their walkway. She was shaking her head disapprovingly at him, though he could make out the slightest hint of a smile against her lips. He knew that she awlays found it cute to see a more sensitive side of Derek, but at the same time...

"She just ate her breakfast," Casey said, and he rolled his eyes at her predictable comment, shrugging out of the backseat, and closing the door gently. He took a couple of steps towards her, his hands in his jeans pockets as he raised an eyebrow at her, as though failing to see her point.

"I'm attempting to keep at least half of a bowl of cereal in her system, considering she threw up everything she ate last night," Casey said, and he rolled his eyes at her comment, reaching out to grip her waist gently. She watched him hesitantly, but he ignored her wary look as he used his grip on her to pull her forwards, her chest bumping gently against his as he smirked at her.

Her eyes wandered up to meet with his, and he merely shrugged, maintaining a calm and steady gaze as he watched her pointedly.

"The kid's allowed to have a little fun," he reminded her, one eyebrow raised as he attempted to reason with her. "And besides, if anything was going to make her sick, it would be _your _lack of driving skills. Seriously, the kid can only handle so many bumps and sharp turns; even I get nauseated after an hour in the car with you."

He was cut off abruptly when she smacked his arm, pretending to be offended by the comment he had just made. He could see the amusement in her eyes, and he merely laughed as he leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead quickly, hoping that she would accept this as his apology, since he was so horrible with verbal apologies.

"That was _so_ not funny," she told him, but she could not hold back a smile as she shook her head at him, folding her arms across her chest. "And on another note, I still don't see why you're driving me to work today. I'm perfectly capable of driving myself, despite what you may think."

His smile faltered slightly, and he found himself reacting defensively, his eyes glazed over with what he hoped was some sort of a calm demeanor, to hide the truth from her. He didn't want her to know the real reason behind his sudden urge to act as her chaffeur, after all.

Instead, he played the idiot card, shaking his head at her as he offered the weakest of smiles he could summon up.

"It's called carpooling, woman," he tried, laughing shakily as he gripped her shoulders against his palms, a disapproving look in his eyes as he eyed her scornfully. "Don't you care about the environment at all? It's people like you who are intensifying global warming, I swear."

Casey merely blinked at him, her gaze never changing as she waited, figuring that there must be more to this joke of an explanation. He had known how lame it was before the words had even left his mouth, but it was to the point that he had felt it would be worth a try, no matter what the outcome. The longer he could protect Casey from his secret, the better. He didn't want to worry her with any mention of what might just be empty threats- a scare tactic, of sorts.

But still, he watched as Casey shook her head at him, bringing her arms together across her chest as she eyed him doubtfully. He felt disappointment flicker through him as he realized she would not give up as easily as he had thought, and he sighed, watching as she studied him curiously, searching for any hint of deceit.

"Are you sure that's the honest to God truth?" she asked, and when he did not reply, she took a step forward, causing his hands to fall carelessly to his sides again. "I mean, face it, Derek; you're not exactly Mr. Environment, are you?"

Derek raised an eyebrow, taking a step backward as he raised his hands in front of him defensively.

"Hey, I care about... recycling, making a difference... all that jazz."

She snorted, amusement in her eyes as she rolled her eyes towards the sky, shaking her head.

"Yeah, sure you do," she commented, before turning her gaze back to him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Honestly, Derek- who do you think you're talking to? This is _me_, here. I know you better than anyone else, and I know that you're _so_ not giving me a ride because you care about the_ environment_. You've got something on your mind, and you're going to tell me what it is right _now_."

Her voice was very demanding, and he found himself gulping back every last bit of the panic that was suddenly rising in his throat. He was scraping at every corner of his mind for some sort of a lie, something that would keep her from finding out the truth about his phone call, the night before. Something that would keep her from discovering exactly what he was trying to protect her from.

Clearing his throat, he looked into her eyes, trying his best not to think about it, just in case she was reading the look in his eyes more carefully than he had hoped.

"Well, uh... you see, I..."

She sighed, both eyebrows raised now as she shook her head, obviously growing more impatient with him by the minute.

"Spit it out, Derek."

"I... well, I..."

"You _what_, Derek?" she finally cried, frustration written all over her face as she took a step forwards, fed up with his avoidance of the subject. "Just _tell_ me already!"

"I dented your car!" he blurted out, regretting the words before they had even left his mouth. Her eyes widened as she leaned away from him, surprise written in her eyes as she watched the colour slowly return to his cheeks. One would have thought that it would be the _opposite_- that admitting to such a thing would cause him to grow even more pale in the face.

But on the contrary, he looked more relieved than he had during the duration of their conversation. Despite her obvious anger, he knew that having her mad at him would be worth it, if he could keep her safe from whatever it was he was dealing with, right now.

Ignoring her quickly blushing cheeks, he rushed on, wanting to calm her down before she had a chance to really let loose, and freak out on him.

"But you know what, I'm gonna come home before you today and bring the car to the garage to get it fixed, alright?" he questioned, ignoring the glare she was fixing him with as she took a step forwards, shaking her head menacingly. "I'll get it all patched up, and you'll barely even know there was a dent there to begin with! I just... I didn't want you to find the dent this morning, so I offered you a ride. I'm sorry."

Casey eyed him carefully, taking in everything that he had just said to her. He had really given her a mouthful, and it was obvious that she was torn between getting angry with him for denting the car, or letting it go, due to his obvious dedication towards fixing it. He could only pray for the final choice of the two, and he felt relief wash over him as she let out a deep breath, some of the anger in her eyes fading as she nodded her head, taking a step towards him.

"I'll let it go then, for now," she said, and when he breathed out a sigh of relief, she raised an eyebrow, gripping his elbow tightly. "But so help me God, Venturi; if I come home to a dented car today... you'll be dealing with one very unhappy girlfriend, got it, pal?"

Derek managed to force out a grin, nodding his head as he winked at her, trying his hardest to act casual about it all.

"No worries, Space Case," he assured her, giving her a playful shoulder shove to cheer her up a little bit. "When you get home, car will be fixed, cleaned, and well-prepared for the accident I'm _certain_ you'll be the cause of, one of these days."

Her eyes widened again, and she turned as he pushed past her, laughing to himself.

"Der-_ek_!"

"In the car, babe- it's D-Man's turn behind the wheel. I'm gonna show you how a _real_ man handles the road."

Casey snorted, folding her arms pointedly as she followed along behind him, a scowl set upon her features.

"Yeah, because _that_ makes me feel _so _much more confident! If I arrive to work safe and sound, it'll be a miracle."

- - - -

It usually took Casey about twenty minutes to get to work, pending traffic, and whether or not she went through a drivethru to pick up a tea. If traffic wasn't half bad, and she didn't stop at all, she could usually make the drive in about fifteen minutes, minimum.

Derek made it through the drivethru, and early morning traffic, in a grand total of eleven minutes. She was pretty sure he had broken about twenty laws to get them there that quickly, and she was half convinced that several people had reported their liscense plate number if they could catch it, but nonetheless, as she pulled up in front of the school, she was somehow alive and well, and ridiculously early for work.

As they rolled to a stop at the curb next to the high school, which wasn't all that busy yet, Derek turned to Casey, grinning as he saw the petrified look on her face. She was glued to her seat, her eyes wide as she gripped the seat beneath her tightly, as though she were still hanging on for dear life. He could sense the fear in her eyes, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he put the car in park, turning to face her.

"Cat got your tongue, Case?" he questioned innocently, as though amused by her fear. "You look awfully pale right about now. Maybe you're coming down with something."

She slowly turned her head, her eyes narrowing at him as she tried to regain control of her body, which was still frozen with shock against the passenger's seat.

"The only thing _coming down_ will be my _fist_, if you _ever_ drive like that again," she choked out, obviously still not over her ordeal. "Honestly, Derek! Do you drive like that _all_ the time? I'm never going to have a peaceful day again. All my time will be spent worrying whether or not you're coming home _alive_!"

He rolled his eyes, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he turned away from her, still smirking.

"You're overreacting," he accused, his eyes doing a quick surveillance scan of the area, to make sure there was nothing suspicious around. He caught sight of quite a few sketchy looking teenagers, but teenagers were generally suspicious looking anyway, in his opinion. The voice he had heard on the phone had been a man's voice, much too masculine and deep for any mere high school boy. He knew that he didn't have to worry about his harrasser being a student, but he also knew that he couldn't chance this man getting too close to Casey. If he had found out where she worked, wouldn't it be all too easy to get her alone at some point during the day, and...

He shuddered at the thought, suddenly relieved that he was going to be the one picking her up after work. The last thing he wanted was her wandering out into the nearly empty parking lot all by herself, where anyone could be watching.

"I'll get off work at two thirty and go get your car fixed, and then I'll be back here at around four thirty to pick you up," he informed her, careful to factor his lie into the equation effectively. "Just... wait in the porch, or whatever. Wouldn't want you to get cold or anything."

Casey's eyebrows furrowed together, and she threw a glance over her shoulder towards the front porch of the school- which was under the safe surveillance of the principal's office, hence Derek's choice. He knew that nothing fishy would go on so long as she was under the close and watchful eye of other staff.

Casey, however, did not see the benefits of this plan.

"Derek, it's a beautiful day outside," she reminded him, motioning towards the beautiful, thirty degree weather outside their car. "I'll just wait out around the curb, or something. Get some fresh air, you know? You might try doing the same, one day. It does wonders."

He was panicking now, for he really had no idea on how to convince her to stay inside the school until he came to pick her up. He knew that telling her the truth was probably the smartest idea he could come up with, for he could easily remember what had happened the last time he'd let all of his little white lies pile up. Casey had almost been killed, he'd been shot, and he'd spent two months in jail, for lying to everyone. Was that really a fate he wanted to repeat again?

Shaking out of his trance, he turned back to her, determined not to let his panic show on his face. This was different; this was nothing like last time. Mark and Franz were both in prison, and they weren't going to be able to come anywhere near his family for a very long time to come, if ever. They weren't even eligible for parole, at this point in time, and Derek doubted that they ever would be. They had both been responsible for alot of deaths and even more health issues, in Toronto. Their actions did not really deem forgiveness as much of a possibility, here.

"Like I said," he continued, more quietly this time. "I'll pick you up here at four thirty. Wait in the porch."

He half expected her to argue with him some more on this, but whether she picked up on the fact that he was hiding something, or she just didn't want to be late for work, she managed to keep the argumnts to a minimum. Casey had never questioned him again, when it came to keeping their family safe, and when he gave her instructions in that tone of voice, the tone that signalled that he was trying to do what was best for his family... well, she was never one to question that. She understood now, that safety was much too precious to compromise, in their case. He hoped that she would not suspect anything was up, seeing as he often got over-paranoid about these things anyway, and he was relieved when she nodded her head, forcing a very small smile.

"Four thirty," she echoed, her eyes locked against his pointedly. "If it eases your mind any, I'll be in the porch."

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he managed to give her the tiniest of nods, relief flickering across his features graciously.

"Thank you," he got out, his voice barely over a whisper as his shaking hands released their hold on the steering wheel, his entire body feeling the effects of the relief her words had just brought.

Leaning over, he pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss, one hand reaching up to rest against her cheek. Her cheek felt warm beneath his palm, and he pressed her back further against the passenger's seat as he felt her kissing him back, unable to resist a chance to do this with him. They would not see each other for another nine hours, and for them, that was almost torture. He hated not being able to kiss her for _one_ hour, let alone nine of them.

But Casey's self control had always been a whole lot stronger than his own, and he could feel her resolve strengthening as she laughed against his lips, trying her hardest to pull back. He kept a firm hold against her cheek, his grip drawing her back everytime she backed away, but he knew that he was going to lose this batlte, in the long run. As much as he wished he could, he could not stay here and kiss her all day, even if she would let him. They both had to get to work, and it was with that mentality that he finally let her pull back, quite pleased with the flush of her cheeks, and the satisfied twinkle in her eyes.

He could not fight back a smile as he kept his palm against her cheek, running his thumb gently along the side of her face as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers one last time. She allowed this, and he did not argue with her when she pulled away a moment later, reaching up to lift his hand away from her cheek, knowing he would not do it willingly. There was still a smile on her face as she reached down, grabbing her bag from the floor beneath her feet, and she slung it over her shoulder as she turned back to Derek.

"I'll see you at four thirty?"

He nodded, his body still leaned towards her seat pointlessly.

"Four thirty," he echoed, pleased. "Love you, baby."

There it was; that smile that made his heart skip a beat, made him want to forget all about work, all about the fact that their daughter was in the backseat, and just spend the whole day kissing her. He would gladly kiss every inch of her amazing body, if only he could put that sort of a smile on her face forever. He found himself relieved that he was already sitting, because if she had smiled at him like that when he was standing... well, he probably would've sustained some sort of a head injury, when he passed out.

But the moment came to an end, as all good moments do, and he found himself watching her open up the door, the smile still set against her lips as she nodded back at him, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Love you too," she assured him, before glancing over her seat, her eyes focusing on the five year old girl in the backseat. "Have a nice day, okay baby? I love you; feel better."

Becca smiled at her mother, and before anything else could be said, they were watching Casey dart up the front steps of the high school, bag slung over her shoulder. Derek's eyes followed her the whole way, and as he watched her, he realized that he was not the only one. Casey was still in her mid-twenties, and she definitely had alot going for her in the looks department- something that alot of the high school boys seemed to find appealing, about her.

Outside their car stood one boy, who looked to be no more than seventeen years old, probably an eleventh grader. He was dressed in a sky-blue button up shirt, with a plain white tee underneath it. His jeans were a light blue colour, and his backpack was a solid black, slung over one shoulder as carelessly as possible. He was standing right next to the door that Casey had just climbed out of, and as Derek took note of where the boy's eyes had travelled, he leaned across his seat, glancing out the open window at the boy.

"You got trouble with your eyesight, boy?" he questioned, and the kid turned then, his eyes wide as he caught sight of the famous Derek Venturi, known best around Thompson High for his legendary pranks, and his relationship with everyone's favourite teacher, Casey McDonald. Nobody liked being caught staring by Derek Venturi, and while he would never actually hurt someone a good nine or ten years younger than him, it never hurt to put the kid in his place, right?

"Hey, Mr. V," the brown-haired boy said nervously, offering a weak smile as he leaned against the car, trying his best to act casual. "I've got a perfect twenty-twenty vision, actually. No worries on my eyesight."

"And do you want to keep it that way?" Derek questioned, raising an eyebrow. The boy's face paled, and Derek smirked, knowing he had won. "That's what I thought."

"Sir, I just... I... I..."

"You... you... keep your eyes where they belong, and keep your hands _off _the Eclipse!"

"But sir-"

"_Hands off the Eclipse_!"

When the boy failed to push himself away from the precious automobile that Derek loved and cherished, he let out a low growl in the back of his throat, before hitting his fist against the horn, hard. His car had a very distinct honking noise, and the boy immediately jumped away from the car, eyes wide as he adjusted his blue button up shirt, clearly offended. He blushed as he caught sight of the snickering students, many of which Derek had had a nice "talking to" before, on similiar matters.

"Like I said," Derek said, a smirk resting on his features as he placed his hand on the gearshift, tapping his fingers teasingly. "Eyes where they belong, boy."

Without another word, he was speeding off down the road, laughing as he caught sight of the boy's shocked look, fading ever so quickly into the distance.

- - - -

"Andrew, what would you do if you got a threatening phone call?"

Andrew looked up from his spot across the room, his gaze questioning as he narrowed his eyes at Derek, sensing that something was up.

"Define threatening."

Derek bit his lip, glancing downwards as he struggled to come up with the right words, without giving too much away. The last thing he needed was Andrew figuring out that he was hiding something from everyone. He knew that he should tell his friend and co-worker about what was going on, but he rather felt as though he should get a removed opinion first- just to see how Andrew would deal with this situation hypothetically. There would be time to tell the truth _after _he got an unbiased answer from his co-worker.

"It's for a case," he lied easily, his eyes fixed on the folder in front of him, as though he were working hard on said case. "Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if you... oh, I dunno, got a phone call that didn't threaten _you_ so much as your... your family? Sort of like... blackmail."

Derek looked up then, noticing that Andrew was fixing him with a very knowing look. He had a feeling that the guy wasn't buying Derek's lie in the slightest, and as he watched him throw down his own files, and lean forwards in his chair, he knew that he was beyond busted. The expression on Andrew's face as he finally spoke up was much too concerned to even contemplate this being purely hypothetical.

"I would say that this sounds _alot_ more real to me than it should be, and that if Casey and Rebecca are in danger, you shouldn't be hiding things from me, or from them," he said, his tone serious and firm. Derek's own eyes averted from his, and Andrew cursed under his breath as he stood up, crossing the room quickly to stand in front of Derek, eyes wide.

"Derek, if your _family_ is in danger, now isn't the time to play the hero, and try to figure it all out on your own," he reminded him, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the edge of Derek's desk, quite obviously concerned. "Those two mean the world to me too; hell, you all do... and... and if there's anything you're not telling me..."

He trailed off, obviously leaving room for Derek to speak his mind, right about now, something that they both sensed was inevitable, at the moment. Derek would never do anything that he thought would compromise the safety of his family, and they both knew that two great minds would be better than one, in this matter.

Andrew waited patiently, watching as Derek closed the file folder in front of him, and ran his fingers along the edge of his desktop, a gentle frown set upon his features. Andrew might have pressed the matter further, if he could not see how hard this already was for Derek. There was concern in his eyes, and even beyond that, pain. It was easy for anyone to see that this matter was causing him a great deal of stress and frustration as it was, and that he did not need anyone putting him under anymore pressure than he was already being faced with.

Taking a deep breath, Derek tilted his head back against the seat, his eyes focused on the ceiling as the doubt on his face melted away, replaced with pure concern, and defeat.

"I got a phone call last night from a blocked ID, at around eight fifteen," he told Andrew, knowing the man would want as many details as possible. "It was a man, I know that much; maybe in his late twenties, early thirties, something like that. He... he told me to keep an eye on the girls, that we wouldn't want anything... _unfortunate_ to happen to them."

He trailed off, a pained expression on his face, a sign of how much this was truly bothering him inside. If there was anyone in the world who knew Derek better than Casey did, it would be Andrew. And right now, it was obvious to him that, no matter how hard Derek might try to hide it, the thought of someone threatening his girls was absolutely _killing _him. It was eating him up inside, and Andrew had no idea how to help take that sort of pain away from him. Not yet, anyway.

"House phone or cellphone?" he asked, knowing that every last detail was necessary in order to pinpoint a few key suspects. Derek looked up, eyebrows furrowed together with confusion, and Andrew unfolded his arms, pressing his palms flat against the desk behind him.

"Did this man call you on your cell, or your house?"

"Cell," Derek said, his eyes still wary as Andrew pushed himself away from the desk, one hand gripping his own chin as he paced the length of the pale blue office, obviously deep in thought.

"Cellphone," he repeated, as though contemplating what this might or might not mean. "If they had called you on your house, it could've been anyone with a _phonebook_, but to call you on your cell... that takes research, and a little bit of extra work."

Derek did not respond, he merely watched as Andrew turned, walking slowly back in the direction of Derek's desk.

"You can almost rule out a random act, as well," he observed, his eyes narrowed as he studied the floor venemously, lost in thought. "If it were a random act, they would've threatened _you_, and you alone. Whoever this was seems to know that you've got a family. Even more, they know the _gender_ of your kid. They obviously checked into your private profile, before making that call."

Someone had been _checking in_ on his personal life?

Derek felt a sudden chill tremble through his spine, the same sort of feeling that he had gotten the night before, when he had first heard that horrible, chilling voice over the phone. He considered for one brief moment telling Andrew about the gut feeling he'd gotten last night, the instinct that this was an enemy, this was someone he was _supposed_ to hate. He usually had excellent first instincts, and Andrew had always urged him to share these sorts of things with him... but still, he felt as though this may be a bit _too_ instinctual, _too _foolish to bother telling Andrew about.

"How much do you think they know?" Derek asked, his voice slightly fearful as he looked up, his face tense with anxiety. "About... _us_, I mean?"

Andrew shook his head, his eyes darkening as he placed one hand against the wall in front of him, staring down at the floor anxiously. They were both silent as Andrew gave the matter a bit more thought, his eyes closed as he struggled for more possibilites, in the matter.

"Did they say anything else?" he finally asked, his voice tense as he remained in the same position against the wall. "Anything more about you or them, that might tell us how much they know?"

Derek thought for a moment, before shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders cluelessly.

"Not that I can think of," he admitted, wishing he had more information to give Andrew. "All they really told me was that... that I should start keeping an eye out for my girls, and then they were gone. No hints, nothing more. It was just like... a warning call."

Andrew cursed under his breath, before falling silent again, his eyes still squeezed tightly shut. It was obvious that he had no real leads on this yet, and Derek could not blame him. With one phone call, there wasn't really much that they could work with, so far. All he had been really given to work with was a warning, nothing more. He would need alot more evidence to try and figure out who this guy was, and what he wanted with Derek's family.

But there _was_ one little bit of information, something that had been bugging Derek since before he received the phone call, even.

The person at the gate, the afternoon before- the person that Rebecca claimed to have seen near their backyard. They had laughed it off at the time, considered it to be just something of the little girl's wild imagination, but what if it was something more? What if Rebecca wasn't just getting carried away, this time? It was a long shot, but it was worth a try, wasn't it?

And in his profession, he had always learned to never rule anything out. The smallest of things could make a huge difference, sometimes.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself to speak his mind, whether Andrew found this useful or not. He would not let his suspicions go unnoticed; not this time.

"Andrew," he began, clearing his throat awkwardly. His friend grunted to show he was listening, but did not look up as he waited to hear more from Derek.

With this in mind, Derek continued.

"Yesterday, when Becca thought she saw someone looking over the gate..."

Andrew's head snapped up then, and his eyes lit up as he snapped his fingers, whirling around to face Derek. Derek was surprised by the sudden excitement in the man's voice, for he had not really expected his speculation to amount to much.

But nonetheless, Andrew was suddenly nodding his head, storming off towards the door like a man on a mission.

"Yes," he chided, his voice upbeat and determined. "Yes, yes, _yes_. Get Rebecca in here now; we need a description."

Despite his excitement, Derek instantly tensed, his eyes filling with worry as he shook his head, gripping the armrests cautiously.

"Andrew, what are you going to-"

"Simple questions, I promise," he assured his co-worker, not looking over his shoulder as he stormed off towards the room Becca was currently playing in, down the hall.

Derek shook his head, not completely reassured.

Andrew was most _definitely_ going to be of some use, in this situation.

* * *

**So many of you are wondering about recurring characters, and yes- there will be quite a few of them. Terrence will resurface sometime soon, but keep in mind his change of heart, last time around.**

**I am sort of hoping for 15 reviews to update, so I would really appreciate a review to let me know what you think. Thankiesss!**


	4. Violation

**There is some serious foreshadowing in this chapter. Pay attention. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Four: Violation **

It had taken Derek a moment to regain his composure, and follow his partner outside his office, towards the room that his daughter was enclosed in, down the hallway.

When he walked into the room that Andrew had just disappeared into, he saw that his friend was already perched on the black leather couch that was lined against the right wall, matching quite well against the ivory white walls behind him. This room was definitely the most appealing room in the small building. Their building was very small, consisting of only one floor. It looked almost like a small house more than anything else, and when you walked in, there was one long hallway that branched off into five different rooms. Derek and Andrew each had an office, of course, and then there was a file room, which was kept locked at all times. This room consisted of different files, old newspaper articles that had come in handy, and a computer with an electronic library that would make any tech-freak jealous.

Other than those three rooms, there was a single washroom, and a small room that Derek called 'the lounge', which was where he found himself standing now. The floor was made of the finest hardwood, as opposed to the white tile of the halls, and the blue and white carpet of the offices, and the walls were plain white. There was a fridge against the far left corner, and a small table close to the fridge with three chairs perched around it. The room was quite inviting, and it was most definitely Rebecca's favourite room to play in, when she came to visit.

So he was not surprised to see his daughter sitting on the other end of the couch now, smoothing out the hair of her beach Barbie doll with the tiny Barbie comb. She had her pink MP3 player next to her, the pink headphones looping up around, so that she could place the headphones comfortably in her ears.

When she saw her father standing in the doorway, she brightened, giving him a huge smile, and an enthusiastic wave of the hand.

Derek softened, taking a step into the room as he closed the door behind him, leaning against it. He threw a suspicious glance towards his co-worker, frowning slightly.

"Drew, what are you going to-"

"Simple questions, I promise," Andrew assured him quietly, in a tone that the little girl had learned to ignore, for it clearly meant that this was adult talk. "I know she's just a little kid, D. I'll make sure she doesn't suspect anything, really."

"She's pretty smart," Derek reminded him, his eyes still wary. "She's Casey's kid, never forget that, not to mention _my_ daughter."

Andrew nodded, his eyes flickering over to where Derek stood. When he saw the fear in Derek's eyes, he realized that he was seriously worrying Derek. As much as they both wanted to get to the bottom of this case, it was always Derek who worried more out of the two of them, and Andrew knew that he hated involving Casey or Rebecca in cases in anyway whatsoever. And it was also obvious that he was worried about alerting the five year old that there was indeed a problem.

Sighing, he turned back to Rebecca, his eyes determined as he tapped the couch beside her to get her attention. Rebecca looked up instantly, her eyes interested, and she pulled the headphones from her ears as her father pushed himself away from the door, crossing the room quickly to reach her. He picked her up in his arms, before taking her place on the couch, and laying her down on his lap easily. She was not heavy- sixty pounds at most, and she was always comfy in her father's lap.

Giving Andrew a faint nod, the man turned to the little girl, his eyes as innocent as possible, while still remaining concerned.

"Becca, what do you want to be when you grow up?" he asked her, and Derek immediately narrowed his eyes at the man, not following his lead.

Becca did not look phased in the slightest. On the contrary, she perked right up, a huge smile crossing her face as she looked at Andrew happily.

"A singer," she decided randomly, and Derek rolled his eyes at the statement; last week it had been a princess. "Or a teacher like Mommy, I dunno yet."

Derek was still squinting at his friend with confusion, unsure of how this conversation could possibly relate to his phone call at all.

But Andrew merely gave him a smug look, turning back to Becca faithfully.

"A singer, huh?" he questioned, and when she nodded, he smiled thoughtfully, as though giving the matter some thought. "That's pretty cool. Did you ever think about... oh, I dunno, being a private investigator, like your daddy and me?"

Immediately, Derek knew where Andrew was taking this conversation, and he understood how easy it would be to persuade Becca into telling them what they needed to know.

But even further than that, Derek also knew his own daughter, and he knew how impressionable she could be, at times. When someone said something to her, she could often reflect on their statements even months after the damage had been done. And while Derek understood that she was just a kid, and she would never remember this, in years to come, the thought of Rebecca growing up to follow his line of work... to put herself in the sort of danger that he himself had faced...

He could only shudder at the very thought of it.

"Drew," Derek started cautiously, shaking his head, but Andrew ignored his friend's obvious concern, deciding to continue.

"Being a PI takes alot of skill, you know that?" he carried on, watching as Becca's eyes filled with curiousity, and interest. "You've gotta be able to think quick, and remember a whole bunch of little details, when someone asks you to recall them. Think you could do that?"

Becca nodded her head, biting on her lower lip, and Andrew raised an eyebrow as though challenging the youngster, his eyes determined.

"Oh yeah?" he questioned, before leaning back against the arm of the couch, pulling his best thinking face. "So if I asked you to tell me what you had for lunch yesterday, you could tell me?"

"Pizza lunchable, but I threw it up at daycare," Becca recalled, her expression proud despite the grotesque topic. "It had double cheese."

Andrew chuckled, cocking a brow as though this were the most fascinating thing in the world, to him.

"Yeah, double cheese are my favourite too," he informed her, nodding his head. "Who needs pepperoni anyway, right?"

Becca merely giggled in response, and Derek found himself running a hand through the little girl's hair, still uncomfortable with involving his little girl in a case whatsoever. He had to fight back the reminder that Becca was the _reason_ for this case, because thinking about that was too much for him to handle, just yet. He could not yet come to terms with the fact that his family- his pride and joy- was endangered, at the moment. And what's more, they were endangered because of _him_.

Swallowing back the incredible guilt that he felt welling up in his throat, he tuned back into what Andrew was saying, his hold around Becca's body holding a newfound sense of urgency, and protection.

"Let's try something else," Andrew was saying, trying to sound off-hand. "If I told you to tell me what time you went to bed last night, could you tell me?"

Becca nodded her head proudly, her tiny chest sticking out as she placed her hand over her father's against her stomach sub-conciously.

"Seven forty-_nine_," she said, emphasizing the more specific of the numbers, as though trying to prove a point. "A whole eleven minutes early."

Derek could not help but chuckle at the excitement in her voice over the matter, but found that nobody was paying much attention to him, anymore. They chose to ignore him as Andrew's expression tightened, obviously preparing for the more serious of the questions- their reasoning behind coming to see her in the first place.

"So if I told you to give me a description of... oh, I dunno, let's say... the person you thought you saw at the gate yesterday," he threw out, acting as though it were hypothetical. He raised an eyebrow, trying not to look _too_ hopeful. "Would you be able to do _that_ for me?"

Becca hesitated, and both of the investigators tensed as they awaited her response. The five year old girl's answer would determine whether or not they could move forward with this case just yet, and despite his impatience and anxiety, even Derek knew how important getting this information was. A five year old's perspective may not be the most reliable of sources that they could summon up, but in this case, it was truly all they had, until something better came along.

So they were both relieved when Becca nodded her head, no longer smiling. Her tiny eyebrows furrowed together, and it was obvious that this answer required her to expend more effort, on the matter.

"They were really tall," she recalled, not noticing the way Andrew's face fell. 'Really tall', to a kindergarden student, could refer to anyone in the first grade and beyond. As hard as the kid was trying, this piece of information really did nothing, for them.

"How tall?" Andrew pressed, and only Derek saw the flick of his thumb inside his jacket, signalling that he was now running the tape recorder, for later evidence. He bit his lip hesitantly, but said nothing.

"Like, as tall as your daddy, or..."

Becca was nodding now, signalling that he had gotten it right on the first try; a lucky guess.

"So this person... a man, was it?" he questioned, and when she nodded, he went on, propping his elbows behind him on the arm of the couch. "Okay, so this man was as tall as your daddy, then. Could you... oh, I dunno... maybe tell me what colour hair he had?"

Becca reached out now, her petite hand closing around the Barbie doll in front of her. It was obvious that she was getting distracted, but as she proceeded in combing out her doll's hair, she still managed to focus enough to answer the question.

"Brown," she informed him, her eyes fixed on the doll, now. "Sorta like the colour of my auntie Marti's hair."

Derek shot Andrew a quick glance to make sure his friend remembered his sisters hair colour, and when a quick nod confirmed that he did, Derek proceeded in asking his little girl a question.

"Do you know what he was wearing, Beck?" he asked, hating that he was making himself a part of this, but knowing that it was for the good of his own family. "What colours they were wearing, even?"

Becca's forehead was creased with stress wrinkles now, and he could tell that all of this interrogation stuff was really starting to frustrate her. She had been fine with answering the simple questions- the questions that only required one type of answer. But getting her to respond to a whole branch of related questions was another thing, and she didn't seem to like it.

"White shirt, black sweater," she replied, and without another word, she glanced up at her father, her eyes begging. "Can we stop it now? I don't think I wanna be a 'vestigator anymore."

Andrew's face fell as he realized this was an end to their little interview, but one pointed look from Derek told him everything he needed to know; they were done. If Rebecca did not want to do this anymore, then they would not be pressing her any further on the matter. Derek would never continue anything that was making his daughter unhappy, and Andrew would never do anything to intentionally get Derek angry. It was a never-ending cycle of loyalty, and it was clear that the interrogation would stop here.

Sighing, Derek leaned down, his lips pressing against his daughter's forehead in a quick and simple kiss, one that was filled with apology and affection.

"Of course we can stop, baby girl," he whispered, his hand smoothing her hair away from her forehead, tucking it neatly behind her ear. "You did amazing, Beck. Go on back to your music, okay?"

Without argument, the little girl shrugged, and stuck her headphones back into her ears, her little foot tapping against the floor to the beat of her song. The two men got up from their spots on the couch, and Derek watched as Andrew slipped his hand into his pocket, shutting off the recorder that had just documented every last word of their conversation with Becca.

Once they were in the hallway again, and the door was safely closed, Derek turned to Andrew, his expression almost accusatory.

"You recorded her?" he got out, the anger in his eyes quite obvious as he folded his arms across his chest disapprovingly. Andrew fixed him with a guilty look, at which Derek shook his head, his eyes narrowed.

"I don't like it, Drew; I don't like it at all," he chided, his discomfort very obvious. "I mean, looking into a case is one thing, but questioning my daughter, using her words as _evidence_?"

"Oh please," Andrew laughed, pulling the recorder out of his pocket as they made their way down the hallway, back towards Derek's office. "Your height, your sister's hair colour, black and white clothes... the kid could be talking about your brother, for God's sakes. _That_ was hardly evidence. We barely know anything more than we did before."

Derek opened his mouth to argue that point, but Andrew quickly held up a hand, rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know," he said, as though he had been expecting this all along. "She did the best she could, and it's better knowing _this_ than nothing. She's got a sharp mind, for a five year old."

They were in Derek's office now, and Andrew collapsed easily into the armchair on the far right wall of the room, as Derek took a seat in his desk, sighing. Andrew could only watch as Derek pressed his palms against his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried his hardest not to let his anxiety show too much. If it had been anyone else watching him, they might've thought that the man just had quite a bad headache, but Andrew knew better. He had known Derek for seven years now, and he knew that such a posture in this man could only mean one thing.

He was suffering, and he was suffering bad. Derek Venturi could rarely handle a papercut, when it came to his daughter, and for her entire existance to be under threat like this... well, that wasn't exactly Derek's best area of expertise.

Softening, he leaned forwards in the armchair, his hands still gripping the material on either side of him to steady himself.

"Derek, don't worry," he tried to tell his friend, his voice as reassuring as it possibly could be, given the current circumstances. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this, alright? We always do."

"And what if we don't?"

Derek lifted his face away from his hands, and Andrew was shocked by the look of absolute heartbreak on his best friend's face. He had not been aware of how much this was already tearing the guy up, after only a day, but the proof was there- etched very clearly across Derek's face. The look on his face was the expression of a man who was hurting, and one who was hurting badly, at that.

Before he could say anything, Derek had gone on, his voice tense with fear.

"I mean, remembering everything that happened before... you know, with Casey and the Wilsons, it just makes me wonder if I could really get lucky twice," he pondered, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned against the back of his chair, his body stiff with stress. "I got her back once, but... getting that lucky a second time... it just seems really unlikely."

"Unlikely," Andrew repeated, raising an eyebrow doubtfully as if he could not believe the words coming out of his friend's mouth.

Derek looked up to meet his gaze, shrugging a shoulder as though confirming this. He remained silent as Andrew took in this response, shaking his head with disbelief. His eyes had gone quite serious, and he leaned forwards, his arms resting against his knees as he shook his head at Derek, quite obviously very confident in what he was about to say.

"Derek, me and you have solved alot of seemingly impossible cases," he reminded him, a hint of pride in his voice as he kept his eyes on his friend, determined to make him see things his way. "People come to us because they have _faith _in the fact that we can bring their cases to justice. And this will be no different."

"What if it is?" Derek questioned, his voice stressed. "What if we can't figure this out in time? I can't just let someone hurt my family, Drew."

Andrew smiled sadly, and there was enough confidence in his eyes to slightly ebb away some of Derek's current knawing guilt.

"We'll figure it out, I promise you," he said, the smile never leaving his lips. "I'm sure you'd fight to the death to protect your family, and to be honest, so would I. And with that sort of motivation to back us up... well, how can we lose?"

And honestly, Derek knew that Andrew was right. He would give his life to ensure that both of his girls were safe and sound, and with that sort of passion, how could he possibly lose?

He only hoped that what he was able to give would be enough to protect them, in the end.

- - - -

Derek was true to his word. At precisely four thirty, he was pulling up in front of the high school, with his daughter buckled safely in the backseat. He pulled up to the curb, and put the car in park as he glanced around the car, his eyes searching for any sign of his girlfriend. He kept his eyes open for the slightest sight of her long brown hair, or her too familiar face, but was uneasy when he found no sign of her at all. She would usually come right out from the porch, when he asked her to wait inside, but today, he saw nothing but an empty porch, and an even emptier passenger's seat.

There were still a few scattered vehicles in the parking lot, so he figured that the school was not completely empty, but then where was Casey? He had told her to be ready for four thirty, and it was precisely that time now. Casey McDonald was never one to be late for anything.

"Where's Mommy?" Becca asked sleepily from the backseat. The little girl had been dozing in and out of sleep for the past ten minutes, and Derek had a feeling that she would be taking a nap, once they got home. She had spent the majority of the afternoon trying to keep down her lunchable, and he knew that such an effort was proving to be too much, on her already weak stomach.

Derek's sharp eyes scanned the parking lot once more, searching for any small detail that could indiciate where his girlfriend was. When he still saw no sign of her, he gave one shrug of the shoulder, shaking his head darkly as he tried his best not to panic.

"She's just running late, that's all," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. "She'll be here in a second."

He was unsure of his own words, and a very large part of him wanted nothing more than to get out of the car, and go look for his girlfriend himself.

But a much more rational side of him knew that this was not possible- that he had to stay here with his little girl. He was not one to leave his child alone in the car on a regular day- much less when he knew for certain that someone was watching his every move. He had been told to keep an eye on his girls, and that was exactly what he was planning on doing.

With this in mind, he sighed, and turned in his seat, his eyes focused as calmly as possible on his daughter.

"Come on, we're going to go inside and see if we can find your mother," he informed her, knowing that he would have to take her with him.

Sleepily, Becca reached her tiny hand down to undo her seatbelt, and once Derek had pressed the power lock button, she pushed open her door, stepping out onto the curb of the high school parking lot. She instinctively reached for her father's hand, and he was quick to envelope her small hand within his own. He immediately felt the relief of having at least one of his girls safe and sound, but he knew that he would not feel comfortable until he had Casey within arm's reach, as well. Call him overly paranoid, but after everything that had happened to them in the past, he was not willing to take too much of a risk, when it came to her.

As they stepped into the front porch of the school, Derek quickly lifted his daughter up into his arms, noting that she kept rubbing her eyes sleepily. He knew that she was tired, and at least she could attempt to drift back to sleep, while in his arms.

He pulled open the door to the main hallway, squinting as he caught sight of the completely empty school hall. The walls were still painted white and blue, blending in quite well with the royal blue lockers. Bulldog banners were still splashed across the walls, along with the occasional poster or flyer, advertising clubs, events, or causes. The boards displaying the graduating classes were still lined off at the end of the hallway, and he knew that- if he cared to check- his own picture would be there, right along with Casey's.

Noting that the school clearly not changed much since his time there, he shook his head, and made his way into the main office.

He was immediately filled with a new sense of comfort wash over him. The school office. Now _this_ was a place that he knew very well, inside and out. Not only did he often come here when he needed to drop something off to Casey, but he had spent a great majority of his time at the high school sitting in this very office, grinning over his latest prank or victory in a fistfight. He was pretty sure the secretary- who was still there, a curse to Derek, no doubt- was always equally as annoyed as she always had been to see his handsome face walking through the door. She had never warmed up to him, and he took great pleasure in annoying her to no end, whenever he could.

Today was no exception. When she looked up to see Derek walking through the door of the office, she immediately tensed, her already wrinkly forehead creasing as she recognized the source of much annoyance- Derek Venturi.

"Oh, it's only you," she noted, pursing her lips as she frowned with disapproval. "And here I thought my day had already gone as bad as it possibly could've."

Derek could not help but smirk as he adjusted his daughter in his arms, noting that she had already drifted off to sleep against his shoulder.

"Now now, Mrs. Bradbury, is that any sort of way to be treating a former student of your wonderful school- not to mention the boyfriend of one of your most _respected _employees?"

Mrs. Bradbury only rolled her eyes at his comments, before allowing her eyes to fall on the young girl in his arms. Despite her dislike for Derek, she was unable to resist the obvious charm that Rebecca automatically cast everytime she entered a room. Nobody had ever been able to refuse the girl's irresistable charm and magic, and their age-old, batty secretary was no exception to this rule. She was just as taken up with the little girl as everyone else was.

"At least you bought Rebecca," she cooed, a small smile on her lips as she watched the girl sleep against her father's shoulder. "Such a beautiful little girl."

"She's mine, isn't she?"

Mrs. Bradbury simply rolled her eyes, and gave a jerk of the head towards the principal's office, where the door was firmly shut. She seemed to sense that Derek was here to find Casey, for the next words out of her mouth were-

"She's in there," she said carelessly, glancing down at her paperwork again. "You can leave your daughter out here, if you want. I don't think you'll be wanting to bring her in there, today."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together with confusion, for he truly had no idea what the secretary was talking about. Why wouldn't he want to bring his daughter into the principal's office? Lassiter absolutely_ loved_ Rebecca. Hell, he'd even grown accustomed to Derek, despite their initial dislike for each other, during Derek's teenage years. They were at the point where they could get along, and even share a laugh from time to time over some of Derek's more light-hearted pranks, back in his high school years.

"Why wouldn't I want to bring my daughter in there with me?" he asked her, trying to sound casual. On the inside, his mind was going through scenario after scenario, each one consisting of something terrible happening to his daughter the moment he left her alone, in the office. He knew that she would be safe with Mrs. Bradbury there, but still- leaving her under the watch of someone else, someone who had no idea of how much danger she was already in...

It sent chills up and down his spine.

But Mrs. Bradbury merely looked up at him, her eyes slightly troubled as she shook her head, looking at Derek as though he had about ten heads. Her eyes were concerned, and he could not help but feel worried as he heard the slight tremor in her voice, when she spoke.

"Are you telling me you didn't hear about the incident today?" she asked, her forehead creased under pressure. Derek merely stared, his body tensing, and he shook his head, his face going chaulky white with nausea. There was no words to describe the absolute fear that he felt trembling through every vein in his body, and he had no idea how to handle all of the possibilites that were racing through his overreactive mind, right about now.

"Wh-What _incident_?" he choked out, unable to hide the panic in his voice. "What happened? Is Casey okay- is she hurt?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly, and he could've sworn that he saw the slightest hint of sympathy flicker through her features- as though she felt genuine sorrow for causing him so much panic. She was quick to shake her head, trying her very hardest to drive all of these wild thoughts from his mind.

"Relax, she's perfectly okay," she reassured him, but noticed that he did not relax in the slightest. Sighing, she continued. "She's a little shaken up right about now, but she's okay."

No more words were needed. Without another thought on the matter, Derek had stormed past the counter, and was inside the principal's office, not even bothering to knock first. He could've sworn that the secretary called out his name, but he did not stop to listen to her as he shut the principal's door behind him, his eyes immediately falling on Casey. She was standing in front of Lassiter's desk, her arms folded across her chest as the principal watched her from his spot behind the desk, his eyes equally as concerned as Mrs. Bradbury's had been.

In about two point five seconds, he realized that the secretary was absolutely right; Casey was completely okay. She looked a little freaked out, sure, and maybe even a little bit scared, but physically- she was unscathed.

Nonetheless, her fear was never something he took lightly, and he was quick to set his daughter down on the black leather couch against the far right wall, making sure that her sleeping form was safely secured against the back of the couch. Once he was confident that she was stable against the couch, he rushed to his girlfriend's side, his eyes wide as he watched her with concern.

"What's going on?" he asked her, looking back and forth between the balding principal, and the girl next to him, unsure of what to think of this. Neither one of them looked entirely relaxed, and it was obvious that something bad had happened, since he dropped her off at school that morning. He could not imagine what could be so horrible as to cause such worry in their eyes, but nonetheless- he knew that he would have gotten a telephone call, if something had gone _terribly_ wrong.

Nonetheless, he listened intently as Casey spoke up, her voice surprisingly calm, despite her pale face.

"Someone hacked into my computer last night, after the school was locked up," she said, her eyes locked against his as he watched, cheeks white with fear. "We've already ruled out the possibility of it being a student. That would make sense, if someone had wanted to get access to their grades, but whoever this was didn't even attempt to get into my grading system. They went straight to..."

She trailed off, looking over at Lassiter hesitantly, before taking a deep breath, and turning back to her boyfriend.

"They went straight to my personal files," she noted, and he knew that she took note of the panic floating across his features, now. "I usually turn off my email when I go home for the day, but I was in such a rush to get home to Becca yesterday, knowing she was sick..."

"What did they read?" he asked quickly, his voice shaking already. She did not answer, and he gripped her upper arm urgently, while still being careful not to harm her. Her blue eyes were locked against his now, and he shook his head urgently, searching her face for any sign of a reaction.

"_Casey_," he urged, trying not to sound too harsh. "What did they read- what do they know?"

Her eyes were apologetic, and he got the feeling that they would be having a very serious talk later, once they were out of earshot of Mr. Lassiter. There were certain things that she knew not to mention in front of the general public, and anything relating to their encounter with the Wilsons was certainly one of them.

"They got ahold of my private emails, some of them as far back as university," she said, her eyes filled with meaning as she watched him carefully for any sign of recognition. "My contact list, my address book, messages I sent to Andrew when you were... gone away..."

By "gone away", he knew that she meant the time he had been in prison. He knew that Casey had corresponded with Andrew Wallace throughout the duration of his prison sentence, and that he had told her all about how they had gone about busting the Wilsons, about who had given them information, and how. He was well aware of the fact that Andrew was not stupid, and that he would've told Casey to delete those emails right away, but it was obvious that she had not listened, too confident in her strong password to even bother listening to him.

And he knew that someone now knew that Nathan Wilson had given them information that had led them to the Toronto house where Casey had been held, during her kidnapping.

And he knew that Nathan would need the strongest of protection arranged, as soon as possible. He would be sure to contact Andrew Wallace the moment he got home.

There was alot of personal information stored on my account. You know how I forward anything important to myself, just in case the home computer crashes."

Derek nodded eagerly, understanding what she was saying. After a computer crash had lost her everything back in high school, Casey had started emailing herself all of her pictures and documents, and storing any important emails she received, regarding appointments, or anything to do with their daughter. Her account was heavily protected with her almost-impossible password- she wasn't stupid- and he knew that this was the first time she had left her email open, by accident. How ironic that someone had seized that opportunity so quickly.

"My schedule was on the computer," she informed him, frowning slightly as she tightened her arms around herself, as though feeling violated. "All my appointment dates, days I have to take off of work, and..."

"Where you are every minute, of everyday," Derek finished quietly, and when she merely bit her lip, and bowed her head, he let out a deep breath, and wrapped his arms around her body tightly. He felt her relax against his chest slightly, but her muscles were still tense with the stress of her situation. He knew that she felt like an idiot for leaving her email open, and he knew that she was worried about just how much information someone had gotten on her.

What she didn't know was that her worries were much more reasonable than even she knew. She had no idea that she'd had a potential stalker _before_ her computer had been hacked. Derek actually contemplated whether or not he had received the phone call _while_ said person had been hacking into her computer, if the two incidents were connected.

But now was not a time to question motives, and he knew that comforting Casey was more important than trying to figure all this out, at the moment. He would have plenty of time to call Andrew with an update, and he would try his hardest to arrange for Andrew to get Casey's computer taken in for evidence. He would have to do so without the school knowing he was involved, as his career was supposed to be a secret, but he knew that he would be able to arrange all of that tonight.

Now was not the time.

"We'll get it figured out," he murmered against her ear, combing his fingers through her hair with one hand, as the other rubbed her back soothingly. He could feel her tension practically radiating off of her, and he wanted nothing more than to find whoever was doing this, and make them pay for what they had done to the frightened girl in his arms. He knew that she was not upset because her computer had been hacked- no, that much was easy to face, it could happen to anyone. What was bugging her was that someone had purposely checked in on her personal information. Someone was watching her, and someone wanted to know more about her.

He could not blame her for being scared. And after everything that had gone on nearly seven years ago, he could not find it in him to erase his own fear.

* * *

**Like I said, there was foreshadowing of an outcome. Review for an update, please. Lack of reviews lately has been distancing the time between my updates- it's uninspiring. Next chapter will have serious Dasey talk, and Derek will be telling Casey about what's been happening. **

**Also, I have not forgotten about The Unexpected. I am working on another chapter to that today!**


	5. Promises

**Again, this chapter has some serious foreshadowing. You guys came out with some very interesting points last time- so props on being observant. I will not say if anyone was correct or not, as that might spoil something, but you can see if you can find some parallels between this chapter, and the last. **

**Derek is a little bit OOC in this chapter, but the way I see it- Derek feels that he has always been overshadowed by Casey. Protecting his family has been his main priority now for years. He's good at it, and it's the first thing he's really been proud of. So when the stability of his family is threatened, he is torn up over it. That's my reasoning behind it, anyway. **

**Read and enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: Promises**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

By the time Derek got the girls home, and they had gotten dinner out of the way, Casey appeared to have calmed down a little bit. She had been completely silent during the car ride home, speaking only when Rebecca spoke up from the backseat to ask her about what they were having for supper. The moment her daughter had fallen asleep again, she was quick to lapse back into a comfortable silence, and Derek had not heard another word out of her for at least another twenty minutes, when she had informed him that she was okay to make supper.

They had been home an hour now, and finally, Derek saw fit to question her about today's events. He knew that she was upset, but he was not going to let her freeze him out like this. He knew that she was not trying to be mean to him, but rather she had alot on her mind, and was choosing to keep to herself, as not to worry him. This was never the right choice to make when it came to Derek, but he knew that she had done this for his own good. She hated worrying him anymore than she had to.

Once the dishes had been cleared away, and Becca was settled down at the kitchen table to work on her missed assignment, Derek managed to sneak upstairs to their bedroom, where Casey had disappeared only moments before. Rebecca was perfectly fine in the kitchen, and Derek had ensured that all of the doors and windows in the house were locked, so nobody could get in without him knowing.

When he walked into their bedroom, he caught sight of Casey sitting on the edge of their bed, back turned to the door. Her long light brown hair flowed down over the black tank top that covered her back, and he could tell that she was lost in thought about something. She was staring blankly at the wall in front of her, showing no sign that she had heard Derek entering the bedroom.

Keeping the door open so that he could hear what was going on downstairs, Derek took a final step into the room, making his way slowly towards Casey. He knew that he would scare her if he spoke up so suddenly, so he settled for taking a seat on the edge of the bed, making sure he did not move too hastily.

He watched as Casey's shoulders tensed in recognition of his presence, and he was quick to move his hands up to her shoulders, gripping gently in his best attempt at a soothing massage.

"You need to relax," he murmered, his voice low as he moved closer to her, so her back was almost pressed against his chest. He could feel some of her tension melt away almost instantly under his touch, but she was by no means relaxed as he moved his hands skillfully against her shoulder-blades, wanting to ease the tension that had undoubtedly been building up all day long.

"I called Andrew and had him send the very best of protection for Nathan Wilson," he assured her, working his magic a little further down her upper arms, trying to relieve any sign of tension, in her muscles. "He's also going to send someone to the school tomorrow to take your computer for evidence. He'd go in himself, but we don't want to chance anyone associating private investigators with our family; it's too risky."

Casey did not answer, and he sighed, knowing that his feeble attempts at reassurance were not working. She had relaxed slightly, but her stress was still evident in every move she made, in every breath she took. He could feel the tension practically radiating off of her, and he wanted nothing more than to clear her mind of any negative thoughts- anything at all that might cause her any sort of pain whatsoever.

Leaning in, he pressed his lips against the exposed skin just above her shoulder-blades, sending goosebumps up and down her back. He could not help but smirk at the feeling of her warm skin beneath his own, and he scooted very close to her, wrapping his arms around her waist so that she was hugged tightly to his chest, her back against his front. He could feel the effect this had on her, and he knew that whatever he was doing was helping her, at the very least.

"Loosen up a little," he murmered, dropping a line of kisses between her shoulder-blades, towards her neck. "You're much too tense right now."

He could feel the shudder that trembled down her back then, but chose to ignore it as Casey closed her eyes, tilting her head back into his touch.

"I can't help but be tense," she informed him, her voice anxious as she tilted her head to the right, trying to give him better access to the exposed skin of her neck. "After everything that happened today, after everything someone stole from me... all my personal information, Derek. Do you have any idea how... how _violated_ that makes me feel? I feel like I'm being stalked, or something."

Derek was the one to tense this time, and he knew that Casey felt it. Despite his attempts to hide this from her, his entire body betrayed him, and he felt ice flood through every vein in his body- locking him into place as though he were some sort of statue- forever doomed to be this tense, this _anxious_.

And he knew. She needed to know the truth. He could not pretend like there was nothing going on, when someone had made such an obvious attempt to find out more about Casey, and their family. Not telling her about the tape seven years ago had only led him into trouble, and he had made a promise to himself shortly after that he would always be honest with her, so long as it was what was best for her. And keeping this secret from the woman he loved? It wasn't helping anyone, anymore.

"Casey, you... you _are_ being stalked, sort of," he admitted, and whatever tension that had disappeared only moments before suddenly returned, even more powerful than before. He could feel the muscles in her shoulders lock up, and she tilted her head slightly to the right, as though trying to see the look on his face a bit more clearly.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, as though she could not- or would not- believe what she was hearing. "What did you just say?"

Taking a deep breath, Derek reminded himself of every reason why he had to tell her, every reason why he he was making this choice. He would not lose Casey on his own accord- he would inform her of everything he knew, and he would keep tabs on her as closely as he possibly could. It would be a hell of alot easier to do that if Casey knew to be on the lookout, as well. He couldn't be there twenty four hours a day, after all.

"I got a phone call," he said simply, knowing it was best to get it all out there all at once, to get it over with as quickly as possible. "Someone, a man, told me to be on the lookout- to watch out for you and Rebecca. This man... he... he threatened you guys, and told me I'd better start looking out for you a little bit more."

She was silent for a moment, and he could have sworn that she had stopped breathing. He might have been concerned over this, if he could not feel the tension in her shoulders still, pressing against his palms as she turned her head, her eyes wide as she finally faced him. He could not tell which emotion was more dominant in her eyes right about now- fear, or anger. He knew that he should expect both in varying degrees- fear of being under constant threat, and anger towards Derek for keeping such a thing from her.

"You kept something like this from me," she said lowly, her voice not missing a beat as her eyes narrowed, still filled with anger. "After everything we went through the last time, you thought that it would be best to keep this a _secret_?

He immediately shook his head, his hands falling away from her shoulders as he scooted backwards on the bed slightly, trying to put some distance between the two of them.

"Casey, no- it wasn't like that. I really-"

"We were both nearly _killed_ the last time someone came after us, Derek!"

"I know that, and I-"

"Are you _looking_ for a repeat of everything that happened last time? Am I that unimportant to you that you _want_ to give them a chance to finish me off?"

His hands were suddenly wound around her wrists, and his grip was so tight that there was pain flashing through her eyes- a direct result of his bruising grip. He took no notice of the sudden paling of her cheeks as he hauled her closer to him, his eyes flashing with an emotion that quickly silenced Casey's previous ranting.

"Don't you _ever_ say something like that again, do you hear me?" he choked out, his voice shaking with rage. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped her lips as she stared into his eyes, leaning away from him as though taken aback by his sudden anger towards her. Any other time, Derek might have felt bad for getting so agressive towards her, but his mind would not let him comprehend how tightly he was holding her, or how terrifying his voice sounded. All he could acknowledge were the words that Casey had just spoken- all that mattered was making sure she understood that was not true.

"You are the most important thing in my _entire life_, and there is absolutely _nothing_ I wouldn't do to keep you and our daughter safe. If you honestly think I hid this from you to _endanger _you..."

He trailed off, cursing under his breath as he released her wrists from his grasp. He buried his face against his palms, his feet resting firmly on the floor as he propped his elbows against his legs, obviously frustrated. His hair was falling around his face in one big brown mess, and she could practically feel the regret and frustration giving off of his skin. It was clear to her that he was seriously torn up over this, and any anger left in her was quickly replaced by an undeniable need to reassure him.

Despite his reaction to her words, she quickly shifted over next to him, knowing that he would not hurt her- despite his anger. She felt confident enough to place her hand gently against his back, rubbing up and down in what she could only hope was a soothing motion. She could feel his muscles relax slightly beneath her palm, and she leaned into his side, gazing towards the floor quietly as Derek continued to stare blankly into his hands, wordless.

"How long have you known?" she asked, her voice filled with question, and a slight concern. "About this, I mean. When did you get the phone call?"

She heard him sigh into his hands, his face never lifting as he shrugged one shoulder carelessly, as though trying to dismiss the matter.

"Last night, when my cell rang downstairs," he informed her, words muffled against his palms. "That was him. I haven't kept it from you very long at all."

Less than a day. Casey thought this over quickly in her mind, deciding that less than twenty four hours was a reasonable amount of time to keep this a secret from her. Something about him had seemed off since he had taken that phone call, and she knew that he must have been trying to process what had happened, the night before. Not telling her was not the brightest of ideas, but it was acceptable, seeing as he had been trying to accept the situation himself.

"Last night," she mused, nodding her head slowly in acceptance of the concept. "I can forgive that."

Derek lifted his face away from his hands, his face set in stone as he gave her a simple nod, his eyes still dark and troubled.

"Thank you," he said quietly, obviously unable to express how relieved he was that she was not going to complicate things by arguing with him. She sensed that he had expected her to put up more of a fight, but she also knew how hard that would be on him, right now. It was obvious that he was under alot of pressure, and alot of stress, and yelling at him would only make things a heck of alot harder on him, at the moment.

"Did you talk to Andrew about this?" she asked, placing her hand against his knee as she kept her head on his shoulder, finding comfort in having him so near. When he nodded, she bit her lower lip gently, trying to think of something to say. By what she had gathered so far, there had only been one phone call, and she knew that he probably didn't have that much to work off of, just yet. This often frustrated him even in cases that did not involve his family, and she knew that it would _really_ get him angry to have such little information on a case that involved him so personally.

"Me and Andrew have already opened it as a case," he said, his voice low, quiet... _troubled._ "We're looking at some possibilites, but we've got nothing solid yet- nothing that could come close to helping us so soon."

He was quiet for a moment, before adding-

"I'll make sure we're keeping you updated on everything."

His arm wound around her waist then, pulling her against his side, and his hand ran soothing across her back as he held her, his eyes focused on the floor darkly. His body was still tense, and she knew that this was not Derek. Her Derek was always so carefree, so joking and casual. Normally, he'd have her pinned to the bed by now- either kissing or tickling her, depending on what he was yearning for, on said night. Either way, she could always feel the positive energy floating off of him. He was the sort of person who made you happy just by being in the room, and now? His muscles were tense beneath his shirt, his eyes were almost black with frustration, and all she could really make of his current attitude was that he was pissed- very pissed.

On top of that, it was obvious that he was hurting right now. He always wanted to do whatever it took to ease her pain, and to be placed in a situation where he could do nothing to help her- where she was going to be in danger no matter what he did... well, she knew that that was difficult to face, for him. And suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to ease some of his self-pity.

Winding both arms around his waist, she hugged him close to her, lifting her head away from his shoulder so that she could place her chin there, instead. She saw his head incline a degree or two towards hers, as though acknowleding the shift in her position, but he said nothing as she gave his body a gentle squeeze, forcing a small smile onto her red lips.

"Cheer up a little bit, alright?" she said sweetly, trying her hardest to sound positive. "Nothing bad has happened, yet. Sure, my computer got hacked, and okay... the phone call is pretty creepy, I can admit that. But nobody's come after me or Rebecca yet, right?"

She honestly didn't expect him to be reassured immediately, and sure enough, he shook his head, never lifting his gaze from their carpet floor.

"Something could happen," he said, a dark undertone to his voice. "When I'm at work, and you guys are out of my sight... anything could happen. All it takes is one moment without me there, and my entire life could just be taken away from me in a heartbeat. Just like that."

She waited, and he was suddenly bowing his head, his face screwed up with an emotion she could not understand.

"_God_- it's so unfair," he muttered, sounding like he could strangle someone, right now. "I've already had to deal with having you taken from me once- what have I done to deserve this sort of thing _again_?"

If there was one thing that she always felt proved that Derek was her soulmate, it was that she could always feel his pain, when she looked into his eyes. If he was upset about something, there was no hiding it- the absolute broken look in his eyes would reflect in her own almost instantly. It was like a mirror- if one of them was hurting, the other would be faced with a pain equally as horrid. Neither one of them could function properly unless the other was at peace, also.

"Derek," she said, shaking her head as she held him closer, trying to reassure him. "Don't beat yourself up over this, please. We both know that you don't deserve this sort of thing- hell, none of us do. Neither of us deserved to be blackmailed by the Wilsons seven years ago, but it happened. I didn't deserve the torture they put me through, but I made my way through it."

There was a pause, and when he still looked unconvinced, she went on, unsure of whether she should bring this next point up. Derek's jailtime was always a risky subject, for the two of them to discuss. It brought them back to a time that had been painful for the both of them- a time they had chosen to forget. Derek had seen some pretty unforgettable things during his time in prison, and they had both gone through hell when Casey had chosen avoidance as the best path to deal with telling Derek about the pregnancy. They had skillfully avoided discussing that time period for a long time now, and she knew that she was about to break one of the unwritten rules of their relationship- one of the topics that was simply off-limits.

"You didn't deserve to go to prison, but you did," she said quietly, watching as his free hand clenched into a fist against his jeans. She heard his sharp intake of breath, but ignored it as she continued. "Bad things happen to good people- all the time, Derek. That's life, and we just need to learn to deal with it, I guess."

Derek was silent for a moment, his eyes on the floor as he contemplated her words. The silence that hung between them was awkward, and yet it proved necessary, as though setting the tone for whatever Derek would say next.

"What if I _can't _deal with it, Case?" he questioned, his voice ashamed as he raised his gaze, looking right into her eyes sadly. "Blackmailing, I can handle. The prison time- I handled pretty good. Hell, I could probably handle a little torture of my own, if it was thrown at me. But losing you guys... you don't understand what that would do to me."

Unwrapping one arm from his waist, she reached up, brushing the back of her hand softly along his cheek, trying to reassure him.

"I know how much it would kill you," she whispered, her voice low as she watched his expression become more determined, more desperate to convince her of the truth. His eyes were suddenly filled with an emotion she could not put her finger on, and he shook his head, cringing slightly as he looked into her eyes.

"I don't think you could ever understand," he said, stumbling over his words slightly. "If there's one thing that I can actually be proud of... it's you guys, it's the fact that I've got such an incredible family. To lose that... to lose the one thing that matters..."

He trailed off, and despite her previous thoughts, she got the feeling that he was absolutely right, about this. She couldn't understand how much pain he would be in, if he were to lose his girls. Sure, it would absolutely devestate her if she were to lose Derek in her life. Her life would never be the same, without him. But for Derek, she knew it was much, much different- much more deep and real than she could ever begin to imagine.

She had been proud of alot of things, in her life. From a young age, she had been receiving awards, plaques and trophies. She had been the center of attention in school plays, speakoffs, and poetry readings. She had made honour roll every year in high school, and she had been top of their graduating class, while Derek had been somewhere in the middle. Pride had been an accustomed emotion, one that had eventually fit right into her lifestyle automatically, something that had just become a way of life for her. And while her family was still her best accomplishment to date, her best source of pride, she knew that Derek held much more appreciation for that pride than she did. Aside from sports, he had never really felt that he had much to be proud of, despite everything Casey told him he was good at. His family had always been his joy, his one cherished prize. And if that were to be taken away from him...

She knew she could not fathom what that could possibly do to him.

Sighing, she nodded her head, gripping his cheek a little tighter against her palm as she held him closer, trying to reassure him of her understanding.

"I get it," she said quietly, biting her lower lip gently, before continuing. "I know that... for you... our family is everything. And it is to me too, never doubt that, but..."

"It's the first thing I was ever really proud of, outside of sports," he finished for her, nodding his head.

They fell into a comfortable sort of silence, both too wrapped up in each other, and their own thoughts, to bother saying much of anything. Neither one of them had really fully accepted what was happening just yet, but they understood that it was much too soon to be freaking out, completely. Nobody was after them yet- they were merely a target, right now. They still had time to try and figure everything out, but still, they both understood that time could be very limited, right now. Thinking back on how quickly Casey had been taken from him the last time, they both understood that they had to be ready at any given moment- ready to fight back, ready to act.

"No matter what happens, I'll keep you safe," he promised her, nuzzling his face against her shoulder, his voice quiet. "I promise you, even if it takes everything I have to give... I'd..." he trailed off, swallowing hard as he closed his eyes, clearly hurting. "I'd give my life to keep you two alive. Never doubt that."

She wanted to laugh at this, to tell him that he was foolish to think this would result in death. Things would never get that far, would they? Would things escalate to the point that such a strong sacrifice would be required of him? Would he actually be forced to _fulfill_ that promise?

She could only hope that he was wrong.

"You know I'd never doubt that," she assured him, knowing that he needed this. "And... whatever happens, I have complete faith in you. I know that you'll deal with this the best way you know how- that you'll do what you think is best for everyone."

He lifted his face away from her shoulder, looking into her eyes as he lifted her hand away from his face, clasping it tightly within his own. She could not help but get lost in the beautiful brown orbs of his eyes- filled with so much emotion that she could not even begin to comprehend it. Derek Venturi was not usually an emotional guy- it was practically a rule, but with Casey, it was different. He chose not to get overly emotional with her, as not to come off as too much of a softie, but when they were alone, he often lost all control over his emotional side. It didn't take much for him to turn into an emotional mess, when he was with her. All of the emotion he kept inside around other people always seemed to escalate, and boil over the top when he was alone with her.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked, and she could've sworn that she would've fainted away then and there, if she had not already been sitting. His voice was just so gentle, so trustworthy... that she could not help but go weak at the very sound of his voice.

But like all moments, Derek chose to end this one with a half-enthusastic smirk, and a playful shoulder shove.

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna start getting mushy on you in _public_, or anything," he reminded her, shrugging as he tried to regain his usual joking stance. "I _do_ have a reputation to keep stable, you know."

She rolled her eyes, smiling slightly as she nodded her head, relieved that the seriousness of their previous conversation seemed to be dissolving very rapidly. They could really use a subject change, right about now.

"Of course I know you love me, you goof," she got out, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, to get things back to normal. "I love you too, but I've gotta be honest with you- you're rep is already long gone."

He fiended a shocked look, raising both eyebrows as he placed a hand over his chest, mocking her.

"_What_?" he cried, pretending this was news to him. "And here I thought everyone thought I was some bad-boy. Shame, really. I thought I filled the part quite well."

Raising an eyebrow, she placed her hands on his chest, smirking up at him teasingly.

"You could be bad... in..." she paused, her eyes scanning his body very inconspiciously. "_other_ ways- if you catch my drift."

Derek smirked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at her as his arms wound around her waist, pressing her down against the bed beneath them.

"I might just have to take you up on that offer," he decided, his voice husky as he pressed his lips to her neck, searching for some new level of comfort, to dissolve his remaining tension.

"I gotta keep my badboy rep up _somehow_, right?"

And without another word, his lips were on hers, and they fell into a very comfortable silence.

- - - -

Rebecca was back in school the next day. She was still feeling a little bit sick, and Derek was still uncomfortable with having both of his girls out of his sight, but he knew that there were certain circumstances he could not change. Casey had to go to work, and Rebecca had to go to school. There were no exceptions to that, and it would be suspicious if they were both out of school for any extended period of time.

He was jumpy throughout the entire morning, half afraid to answer the telephone every single time it rang. When he heard the steady ringing of the telephone next to him, he would immediately jump, his eyes wandering warily towards the device, afraid that it would be someone calling him to confirm the worst. He wasn't so sure what he was waiting for- a sign, of some sorts, but he knew that this mess was by no means over. He would be in contact with this man again- there was no doubt about that. The phone call could've been pushed aside as an empty threat, but for someone to break into the high school, for someone to risk getting caught, just to scare him...

It didn't add up.

He was brought out of his trance when Andrew slapped a folder down on his desk, collapsing into the black leather chair in front of Derek's desk, crossing one leg over the other carelessly.

"Matthew Leary," he said, his eyes fixed on Derek as he relaxed into the chair, watching as his friend picked up the folder warily, flipping it open casually.

"He called in this morning, requested you especially," he said, not sounding at all bothered by this. "It's not a big case, really- it shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to figure out."

"Tell me a little more," Derek said, scanning down through the minor details that Andrew had jotted down during Matthew's initial phone call to their office. "What's the problem?"

"He called an hour ago," he started, studying his hands with a tired sort of interest. "Claims his girlfriend's abusive ex won't stop harassing them."

Derek raised an eyebrow, still scanning over the forms.

"Harassment?" he questioned, furrowing his eyebrows together with confusion. "Not usually our field- why doesn't he go to the cops, with this?"

Sighing, Andrew reached across the desk with one hand, barely even leaning forwards in his black chair. Derek let the folder fall to the desk as Andrew flipped to the second page, jabbing his pointer finger towards something that he had highlighted in yellow, clearly to draw the matter to Derek's attention, when reading.

"The guy, they've got no evidence on him at all," he pointed out, tapping the highlighted section for good measure. "He's sneaky about it. He calls from payphones, he only comes up to her when she's out in public. She won't put a restraining order on him because she's too scared, so coming up to her in public isn't really going against anything. They've tried to take him to court before, but..."

He trailed off, leaning back into his chair again as he shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

"They don't have enough evidence," he concluded, sighing deeply. "That's where we come in. He wants us to try and set it up so that we can get solid evidence against this guy. He wants something on tape, rock hard proof that the cops can't ignore. Even if it's a setup, he claims that it will state his motives, or something."

Derek nodded his head, lost in thought as he scratched his chin, reading over the file a little more in depth, this time. The case seemed pretty simple. All you really had to do to catch a predator like this guy was put him in a situation he couldn't refuse. Set up a camera, pick a location, ensure your target is aware that the girl will be alone, and _bam_. You've got your guy. He could only wish that things would be as simple with _his_ current situation, but he knew that it wouldn't work that easily. This guy would never believe that Derek had left Casey unattended so irresponsibly, so purposely. Setups like that could only work when your target was unaware of how gaurded everyone currently was, in the situation.

Sighing, he closed the folder, tossing it to his desk carelessly. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, leaning back into his chair as he fixed his eyes against the ceiling. He blew a couple of loose strands of hair away from his eyes, gripping the armrests gently against his palms.

"I'll have it sorted out by next week," he assured Andrew, with a simple nod. "I'll give this Matthew guy a call later this afternoon, okay?"

Andrew nodded, pushing himself up out of the leather chair haphazardly. He placed his hands into his pockets immediately, and as Derek's office phone started ringing, he gave his friend a little half-wave with his free hand, before making his way out of Derek's office, and into his own. Derek waited to hear the sound of both doors completely closed, before reaching onto his desk, and grasping the phone in his hand. Raising it to his ear, he sighed, head tilted back against the chair as he shut his eyes.

"Hello?" he got out, already wishing the call was over with, so he could focus a little more strongly on his workload.

"Little Rebecca's in morning kindergarden sessions this week, correct?" he heard the same, chilling voice speak up, the slightest hint of a sneer to his tone. Derek's eyes immediately shot open, and his back tensed against the back of the chair as he recognized his enemy- Casey's stalker.

"You leave my little girl out of this," Derek spat, his eyes narrowed as he gripped the armrest tightly, anger pulsing through him. "She's five years old, you sicko. How can you even consider hurting a _child_?"

The man chuckled, and Derek could have sworn that his blood began to boil, then. How could the mere sound of someone's voice send such a feeling throughout his entire body?

Biting his lip, Derek reached out, pressing the record button that Andrew had installed on both of their lines, for evidence purposes. Seeing the little red light flash, he noted that the conversation was now being recorded. As a feeling of comfort washed over him, he took a deep breath, prepared to get some good evidence. He didn't know when this man would call again, and he wanted to take full advantage of it, while he could do so.

"What do you want from me, exactly?" he asked, his voice tense with rage. "What will it take for you to leave me and my family alone, huh? Money, you want money, is that what this is about?"

Again, the man chuckled, and it took everything in Derek's mind not to hunt down this son of a gun, and beat the living daylights out of him. How could someone find the matter of his family's safety so _amusing- _something to_ laugh_ about?

"I don't need money," the man assured him, still sounding amused. "All I need is access to your girls."

"Something you'll never get," Derek spat out, and he was surprised that the armrest had not crumbled under his strong grip. "There has to be some _reason_ behind this, some logical explanation for why you're doing this. Who would risk jail-time, with absolutely no motivation?"

"Revenge is my motiviation, Venturi," he sneered, sounding very sure of himself. "You put someone important to me behind bars, and it's my full intention to make sure you suffer the same sort of loss as I have. It would be a shame to let you carry on with such a happy, carefree life... when it's been years since I last laid eyes on my-"

"Yes?"

The man was suddenly bitter, perhaps realizing that he had so very nearly slipped up, and stumbled over something potentially revealing. "Nothing," he quickly covered, and Derek was glad that the man could not see the way his own face fell, then. "Just making sure you're staying aware. That schedule your woman had stored on her computer will come in nice and handy, don't you think?"

Derek's teeth were suddenly grinding together, and it was taking every shred of his willpower not to snap.

"Looking over it now, there's actually quite a few gaps... stretches of time when she's alone, unprotected... _vulnerable_."

"If you know what's good for you, I suggest you shut your mouth _right now_," Derek seethed, struggling to breathe properly. The very thought of someone hurting his girl, getting her alone...

"I'll make sure she isn't alone," he muttered, his words acting as a promise to both this man, and himself. "Even if I'm not there, someone will have her back. Never think she's alone. Looks can be deceiving."

The man chuckled again, and Derek could sense their conversation coming to a very quick and sudden close.

"We'll see about that," was the only reply he got.

And without so much as a final word of parting, the man had hung up the phone, leaving nothing but a cold and empty silence ringing in Derek's ears.

* * *

**Remember, there is foreshadowing in this chapter as well.**

**Thank you to those of you who are reviewing- and to those of you who aren't- it really only takes a second. Even if it's just a quick 'love it' or 'hate it', it's nice to hear from you. **

**On that bright note, review! I will update soon. The action will pick up, I promise you. **


	6. Kidnappings

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Six: Kidnappings**

By three in the afternoon, Derek had almost completely forgotten about returning his business call to Matthew Leary. He hadn't given the matter much thought- for his mind had been filled with much more pressing matters, such as the well-being of his own family. He knew that he should treat both cases with equal dedication, and fairness. He knew that he should not show a bias towards his own personal case, but he could not help it. He could admit to being biased about this, but he also knew that it was acceptable to deal with his cases on a severity level. And a case of harassment versus a potential kidnapping case... well, it was obvious which one was more important, even without Derek's personal relation to the latter.

But he knew that he could not spend every minute of his time racking his brain over his own worries, so at ten after three, he finally reached across his desk, and pulled the folder that Andrew had given him towards him. The phone number for Matthew Leary was sketched very clearly across the top of the inside pocket, and he leaned over his desk slightly as he punched in the seven digit number, and waited for someone to answer the phone call.

By the fifth ring, he was just about ready to hang up and try again the next day, but just as he had lifted the phone away from his ear, he heard someone pick up on the other line, sounding half asleep.

"Hello?" came the groggy voice, and it was easy to tell that whoever this was was slighty irritated that their sleep had been interrupted so suddenly.

_'Excuse me for waking you up at three in the afternoon_,"Derek thought to himself bitterly, rolling his eyes at the innuendo in the man's tone. _'How horrible of me to wake you at a time when the rest of the world is already alive and kicking.__'_

But he could not say any of those things, so instead, he pressed the record button on his phoneline, knowing it was always important to keep everything as evidence.

"I'm looking for a Mr. Matthew Leary," Derek said, wanting to ensure he was speaking with the right person, before introducing himself. "Would that be you?"

When the man spoke again, he instantly sounded more awake, and much less irritated than he had sounded the first time around.

"Yeah, this is Matt," he got out, clearing his throat as he tried his best to mask his fatigue. "Is this..."

"Venturi," Derek said calmly, leaning back in his chair as he examined the fingers on his free hand, already bored. "You contacted my partner, earlier?"

"Yeah," the man said quickly, and Derek was not suprised to hear that the man sounded young. Sure, he was probably backing up a common stereotype by assuming this, but these tends of cases tended to pop up more frequently with younger men. He'd seen it before in the justice system; crazy ex-boyfriend gets super jealous, starts harassing the happy couple; new boyfriend gets super protective, and gets authority involved. This tended to happen among younger men, men too immature to understand the concept of moving on, and finding someone else.

Then again, sometimes he could understand where those "crazy ex-boyfriends" were coming from. If someone were to take Casey from him... if she were to move onto someone else, someone other than him...

He shook himself out of this state of mind, knowing that this was crazy, and that he shouldn't be _trying _to relate to a criminal mind. If a guy cared about a girl enough, he should be man enough to let her be happy with whomever she wished, right?

"I explained this stuff to your partner earlier, but I guess I can explain it to you, too," the man said, and Derek had to raise his eyebrows at how casual he sounded about it all. This_ stuff? _He _guessed_ he could explain ti a second time? Honestly, was this guy even interested in helping his girlfriend?

Derek knew that it was really none of his business, but he also knew that he had much more important cases to be working on. He would help Matthew Leary out, if the guy was going to take the case seriously. But if he was just going to give half answers, and not dedicate himself to the case... then Derek could not help him. This sort of thing took effort on both parts, and he needed to be sure that Matthew was going to be willing to give this thing his all, in order for it to work.

"I could be wrong, but it sort of sounds like you're not dedicated to seeing this case through," Derek observed, his lips set firmly in a frown. "If I'm wrong, I'm sorry, but..."

"No no, you're sort of right," the guy said, and he suddenly sounded more alert, as though he was ashamed of his previous tone of voice. "I mean, I care about this case- with everything in me, I really do. Nothing is more important to me than seeing this creep get what's coming to him. I'm just... I'm stressed, and it's taking a toll on my attitude."

Derek could not help but brighten up, at the man's new tone of voice- so determined, so well prepared for the task that lay ahead of them. _This_ was what he needed, in a client. That passion, that drive for revenge... _that _was what was most important, in trying to catch a criminal.

"The ex-boyfriend- what's his name?" he said, snapping the cover off of a pen, and pressing it against a blank sheet of paper in Matthew's file. He waited, ready to jot down whatever information he thought was necessary to the case.

"Marcus Williams," he said immediately, not a flicker of uncertainty in his voice. "He dated my girlfriend Meena for about a year, before they broke up six months ago. He was really clingy throughout their whole relationship, and she sort of felt that he was rushing things way too much. He started talking about marriage after only three months together, he would freak out if she had any guy friends, and eventually... she left him. It was way too much for her to handle."

"Understandable," Derek murmered, jotting down only the key points. He was recording the entire conversation, so he knew that it was only essential to get down the basics. He was silent for a moment, as he finished scrawling out his final sentence, before taking a deep breath, and speaking up again.

"Okay, so Meena left Marcus," he echoed back, tapping his pen rhythmically against his desk. "How long did it take for the harassment to start? When did the two of you first start dating?"

Even as he spoke, his eyes stopped on a photograph of Casey and Rebecca on his desk, and he found his mind wandering unwillingly. A thousand questions went speeding through his mind at the sight of his family, and he could not help but wonder how much of a toll this alleged stalker was going to have on his work.

Forcing himself to focus only on the conversation with Matthew, he pryed his eyes away from the photograph, spinning his chair around in the opposite direction, slapping the folder down on the side-wing of his rather large desk. He kept his eyes on the paper before him as Matthew spoke up, his voice smooth and confident.

"Me and Meena got together five weeks after she broke things off with him," he informed Derek, and some quick mental math told Derek that this meant Matthew had been with Meena for almost five months. He quickly jotted this detail down, before tuning back into whatever his client was saying.

"He had been calling her for two weeks straight, after they broke up. He kept asking for her back, and promising he wouldn't be so clingy, but she pretty much told him that he was just making her life miserable, by holding on, like this. I guess he really did care a little bit, because he backed off then, and she didn't hear from him again for another four weeks."

There was a pause as Matthew took in a deep breath, but there was no chance for Derek to say anything, before Matthew had rushed on.

"He only started harassing her again because she's with me, now," he explained, sounding completely stressed over this. "He won't leave her alone. He calls her from blocked numbers, and other people's phones. He approaches her in public and begs her to come back to him, but he's not technically doing anything wrong, so there's really no evidence. And that's where you come in."

"You want me to set him up," Derek said quietly, completely understanding where this was going. "You want me to set up a situation that he can't resist. Somewhere where he thinks he can get away with anything."

He could practically sense the man's smirk over the telephone line, and in the next beat, he heard a relieved sigh, one that signalled Derek was absolutely right.

"Yeah, I want you to set him up," he confirmed, sounding slightly impressed that Derek had caught on so quickly. "Nothing too incriminating, really. I don't want to give him a chance to hurt her, either, because I know he's very capable of it. I want you to have someone nearby, but keep it limited. I don't want anyone to bust in and arrest him- I just want to capture it all on film, so we'll have undeniable proof of what a creep this guy really is."

Derek would be lying if he said he was not impressed by Matthew's careful thinking through on the matter. Everything was so thoroughly planned, so thought through. It was like he had been thinking about this for a long time, and he knew exactly what he wanted. Derek could already see a couple of flaws in the man's plan- things that Derek could undoubtedly sort out later, but for someone who had no experience in the field, well, this guy had definitely just won some points, with Derek.

After discussing a few more details, and making plans to meet up with the man the next day, Derek quickly hung up the phone, claiming that he had a call coming in on the other line. He had spent a good half an hour discussing the case with Matthew, and he was surprised to see that he would be getting off work in another ten minutes. He was very eager to be at home again, where he knew he could keep an eye on his girls, and it took every bit of effort he had to focus his mind on picking up the phone, and answering the incoming call in a calm voice.

"Derek Venturi," he said blankly, his mind unwillingly focused on his girls.

"Mr. Venturi?" he heard a woman's frantic voice answer, high-pitched and concerned. "This is Amber King, from the after-school daycare your daughter attends?"

Derek immediately sat up straight in his chair, his back instantly stiffening against the black leather material behind him. He felt his hands clench into tense fists, and his heartbeat went wild as he spoke up, his voice rushed and panicked.

"What happened?" he choked out, his mouth dry with nausea. "Is she okay? Is she hurt- can I talk to her?"

He was freaking out, and he knew it. His entire body felt like it was wired- like he could not stop the nerves that were racing throughout every vein in his body- releasing adrenaline, causing him to act even more jumpy than he already was. He could not recall the last time he had been this scared- this _on edge_. Perhaps it had only been yesterday, when the secretary at Casey's work had informed him of an incident, but that semeed almost incomparable, to this. He had never heard perky, hyper Amber so serious, so concerned. It would take alot to get that girl going, and right now, he was sensing that something very grave had happened.

"I don't want to go into details over the phone," she informed him, and his face paled as he gulped, trying to keep down his lunch. She didn't want to go into _details_. Because _that_ was reassuring.

"I think its best if you get down to the centre as soon as possible," she informed him, her tone of voice very grave. "We've already contacted your wife; she's on the way over now."

Derek did not bother to correct her on his relationship to Casey- now definitely wasn't the time for small details. Before another word could be spoken between them, Derek's phone was in the cradle, and he was shrugging into his jacket, while struggling to turn off his computer at the same time. His finger pressed against the small round button of the monitor, and as his computer screen went blank, he found himself stumbling out of his office, still struggling to pull his right arm into his black jacket. His laptop bag was slung carefully over his shoulder, and he only stopped long enough to lock his office door, before he was practically running towards the front entrance, to get to his parking spot out front.

"I've gotta take off early," he called over his shoulder, finally pulling his arm through the hole of his sweater. "Family emergency- I'll call and explain later."

He heard Andrew's office chair roll back against the carpeting of his office, and before Derek had even reached the front door, there was the sound of another door slamming behind him. He did not turn to see what the commotion was, but by the time he was turning the doorknob, he noticed that Andrew was beside him, a determined look on his face. He had somehow already gotten into his jacket, and he gave Derek a very confident nod towards the door as they both paused, staring at each other for a second.

"Fill me in on the way," he said, reaching out to push the door open, seeing as Derek was frozen in place. "I'm coming with you."

- - - -

"-as you can understand, this is a very serious matter, and we're plaIning on launching a full investigation tonight," a police officer was saying, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the office desk behind him, fixing both Derek and Casey with a very grave look. The two of them were standing in front of him, Rebecca up in Derek's arms, and it was for Casey's own comfort that she kept running her fingers through the little girl's hair, as though trying to reassure herself that her daughter really was safe.

"We haven't managed to get a very good description of the suspect yet- nothing we can go by," he continued, as the other officials in the room continued to mill around, discussing the matter with the daycare owner, and Rebecca's teacher, trying to get more information. Some were on cellphones, some were reading over their notes, but mostly, they all just looked confused, and like they wanted to ask each other the exact same question that was on everyone's mind right now.

"Why would someone try and take a poor little girl?" Amber asked, and Derek's gaze darkened as Amber crossed the room to stand in front of Derek, her eyes fixed sadly on the sleepy girl in his arms. She was leaning against Derek's shoulder, practically falling asleep from all the excitement that she'd been forced through, today. She had been silent for the past twenty minutes now, and it was only when Amber placed a hand on her shoulder that she really acknowledged human touch, at all.

"Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?" her teacher asked, her voice filled with genuine sympathy. If there was one thing Derek loved about their choice of after-school daycares, it was how dedicated they were to making sure each and every child and parent came out of the year completely satisfied with the program. No child was ever "just another child" to them, and that was something that Derek respected, about the workers.

Becca nodded her head, and Derek pressed his lips against the top of her head, closing his eyes gently as the officer before him spoke up, his tone final, signalling the end to their conversation.

"All we've really gathered is that the children were outside at around three o'clock this afternoon, and a man pulled up in a red car, just down the road from the daycare," he said, before pausing long enough to look down at his pad of paper. Squinting, he went on.

"Witnesses say he had his hood up, and nobody really caught a good glimpse of him, except your daughter."

Derek's eyes opened then, and he looked up at the police officer with interest. Rebecca had caught a good glimpse of the culprit? While he could mention nothing in front of all of this authority, he knew that there was a fair chance that his daughter would be able to tell if the person who had attempted to lure her away had been the same person that she had seen next to the gate, a few days before. He had a pretty good feeling that, once he asked, his daughter would confirm the worst- confirm that this man, the man who had attempted to steal her away from her parents, had been the same man who had been watching them a few days before.

They said that the man had taken off the moment the teacher had taken notice of the unknown man leading the five year old away from the enclosement. There was a metal chain-link fence that kept the daycare's playground and small field pinned off from everything else around the center, and there was only one exit, which had to be opened from the other end. It was impossible for any child to reach over the gate to open it, but it was also obvious that her attempted kidnapper had been leading her towards the gate so that _he_ could open it for her.

Rebecca had told the police that he had kneeled beside the outside of the chain-link fence, and that he had acted very friendly towards her.

- - - -

_"He was smiling at me,"_ she had claimed, as she sat on her father's lap, playing with the hem of her blue and white tank top. _"He wasn't mean, or anything. It was like he was my friend, or something." _

_"And what did he say to you?" a nearby officer asked, his voice recorder flat against his palm, recording every word of the interrogation. Derek cringed away from the device, hating that his daughter had to be involved in this once again, but he knew that there was no alternative; a situation that directly involved Rebecca meant that she had to be the one to speak up, this time. There were no other choices. _

_"He told me that he worked with my mommy," she said, shrugging her shoulders as though she did not see the big deal. "He told me my mommy wanted him to come and pick me up early, 'cause she knew I still wasn't feeling very good." _

_Derek paled at the words that had escaped his daughter's lips; whoever was doing this had been following their lives more closely than even Derek had noticed. If they had been paying enough attention to know that Rebecca had been out sick for two days, then how closely were they really watching his family? Did they know enough to know anything more personal than that? They already knew where Casey worked, and where Rebecca went to daycare. The thought of that alone was terrifying enough to Derek. _

_"I told him that my mommy told me not to go with strangers, but he told me he was gonna take me to my appoin-ment," she shrugged, referring to the doctor's appointment that her mother had booked for her the first day she had come home sick. Casey had a tendency to overreact, and she always wanted to be sure Becca's health was in the all-clear, when she got really sick, like she had been. _

_And quite obviously, someone had found out about the appointment that the little girl had been scheduled for, not like they would've really taken her there, in the first place. He had to admit, whoever this was knew how to be the perfect predator- he could work easily around the Venturi family's schedule, he could pull off a break-in to retrieve said schedule, and most importantly, he could earn the trust of their five year old within seconds, and all without anyone else ever spotting him. He seemed to have all of the bases covered pretty neatly, and while that was impressive, it was also quite concerning, to Derek. How were they ever supposed to work against someone who seemingly had access to some sort of insight on the Venturis lives? How could you fight against someone who was always one step ahead of you, taunting with their unshakeable knowledge. _

_- - - -_

"Derek?"

He did not respond, still deep in thought over everything his daughter had been through that afternoon. She had beleived this guy- she had actually been walking towards the gate, straight into the hands of her predator. Derek could not imagine the excitement and thrill that this sick freak must have gotten, when he saw that the clueless kindergardener had fallen for his tricks. Rebecca may be a very smart little girl, but she was still only five years old, and anything outside of her own name seemed to be good enough confirmation, when it came to strangers. She was a child, and she was very easily fooled, at times. Derek could only hope that he would be able to talk a little bit of sense into her, just in case this sort of thing happened again.

"Derek?"

He turned then, and noticed that Casey was watching him with an apprehensive look, as though she knew just what was on his mind. Casey, Andrew, and Derek knew more than anyone in the room, though they could never admit to that. Every police officer in the room probably thought that this was nothing more than a child predator incident- something that could have happened to just about any child at the centre. But to the Venturi family, it was so much more, because they understood that this was not random act at all. Rebecca Venturi was a target, and there was absolutely nothing that could change that, just yet.

"Come on," Casey said to him, taking one of his hands in hers gently. "We should get her home- she's been through alot today."

She nodded towards their daughter, and Derek noticed that the little girl had drifted off to sleep against his shoulder. He immediately felt remorse wash over him, for he knew that his daughter did not deserve to be put through any of this, but he merely nodded at Casey as he led his family out of the daycare. He was almost certain that one of the police officer's called out behind him, but he was too busy scanning every inch of the parking lot, making sure that no one could do any harm to either of his girls. He had a pretty good feeling that they would be okay with him there, but nonetheless, he kept a firm hold on both of them, not willing to take that risk.

Andrew followed closely behind Derek, his hands in his pockets as he looked back and forth, taking the same precuations as Derek was. Although he was not completely focused on Andrew at the moment, Derek had a strong feeling that, judging by the slight bulge of his fist in his jacket pocket, Andrew had seen it as a necessity to take his gun with him. Normally, Derek would protest the idea of either one of them bringing their guns to a building that contained so many children, but he understood that being armed was a necessity, right now. The last thing they needed was for someone to try and attack the family while both men were completely unarmed.

When Rebecca was carefully settled into the backseat with Andrew, Derek and Casey both climbed into the front of the car, with Derek settled in behind the wheel. He glanced in his rearview mirror to see Rebecca asleep against Andrew's side, and he returned his gaze to the dashboard, his muscles tense as he pressed lightly on a small black button, which set off the power lock on all of the doors and windows. He saw Casey giving him a nervous look, and when he was sure that they were completely secure inside the car, he slouched down in his seat, pressing his hands against his face.

An awkward sort of silence filled the car, and he could almost feel Casey and Andrew staring at him, waiting to see what his next move would be. He had been unusually quiet throughout the entire police ordeal, something that nobody had expected. When Derek Venturi was angry, he had a very verbal way of letting it show. And while his cheeks had been red with anger, and his muscles had been tensed with anxiety and rage, he had barely said two words, in front of the authorities. It was like the situation had rendered him completely powerless to speech, and no words could come close to describing how he felt, right now.

He felt Casey's hand touch his shoulder, and while he was not really in the mood to deal with anyone else right now, he allowed her to rub her palm across the back of his neck. She was trying to relieve some of his tension, he knew, and he didn't exactly have the heart to tell her that even she couldn't make him feel any better, right about now. She was keeping him sane just by _being_ here- safe and sound, but nothing she did would relieve his stress, right now, and that was something he was confident in.

"Derek?"

He raised his face from his hands, turning towards her with a dark look on his face. The moment his darkened eyes met with her beautiful, blue ones, he felt her hand drop from his back, as every muscle in her body tensed. He could practically feel the fear that went through her when she caught sight of the troubled expression on his face, and he was quick to tone it down a bit as he took her hand, gazing directly into her eyes.

"You're calling your boss tonight, as soon as we get home," he informed her, no hint of suggestion in his voice. "You're going to be telling them that you need to take a leave of absence from work."

Casey's eyes immediately widened, and he knew without a doubt that she was ready to fight him on this one. He did not really care how much of a fight she put up; he would be winning this one, and she would not be returning to work, in the morning. There was no way in hell he was letting her go anywhere on her own- not after this.

"Derek, I can't just-"

"You're not going back," he repeated firmly, tightening his hold around her hand considerably. He tried to keep his tone even and steady as he raised an eyebrow at her, trying to show her how serious he was being. He watched as she opened her mouth to fight back, and quickly closed it again, perhaps sensing it was not worth the fight. When Derek was this determined, there was usually no negotiating with him.

"You can make up whatever you want," he told her, deciding to give her a little bit of free range. "Tell them your father is sick, and that he'll be staying with us until he's better- whatever you want, I'll leave it up to you. Just make sure they know that you won't be in for a little while."

She raised an eyebrow, looking slightly apprehensive.

"How long is 'a little while'?" she questioned, trying to piece together how long she would be out of work, for. Derek knew that she absolutely hated missing even a day of teaching, but he would not budge on this. He would not endanger her anymore than he had to.

"Whenever this mess is sorted out is when you'll go back- end of story," he concluded, shrugging his shoulders, before glancing in the mirror towards Andrew, who was watching him with a hint of concern in his eyes.

"Drew, I'm going to be working from home, for the most part," he informed his friend, his voice final, absolute. "You're free to join me, if you want. I can get all of our calls forwarded to my house number, without anyone getting ahold of my home number."

Andrew nodded, knowing it was best not to question Derek, on this one. Or perhaps he too, understood that this situation had just become twenty times more grave than it had been before now.

Turning his gaze back to Casey, he spoke up, relieved that nobody was questioning his authority just yet.

"Rebecca isn't going back to school or daycareuntil this is over with, end of story," he said, already knowing that nobody would fight with him on this one, after what had just happened. "We'll tell the school that she's sick, and we'll tell the daycare that she just isn't ready to go back, after what happened today. I'm sure they'll understand."

"And her homework?" Casey asked, obviously not wanting to hurt her daughter's education, at all. "She can't just sit at home all day, Derek. Not only will it bore her to death, but she'll be so far behind that it could be impossible to catch up on whatever she misses. You know it would kill her to have to repeat a year of school."

Derek cared very deeply for his daughter's safety, and there was nothing that could persuade him away from this decision. Neither one of the girls would be leaving his side for very long over the next few weeks, and no amount of missed schoolwork was going to interfere with that. If Rebecca fell behind she would fall behind, end of story. There was no amount of persuading in the world that could change his mind on this one.

"I'll talk to her teachers- we'll arrange some sort of a system," he said, the idea formulating in his head as he spoke. "I'll ask them to give me her work in a bundle at the beginning of the week, and we'll drop it off to the main office before the school closes on Fridays. We can help her through the workload, and she'll still get her work done."

Casey fell silent, obviously contemplating this, and it was all Derek could do to squeeze her hand, his eyes very serious as he watched her, needing her to agree to this.

"Please, Case," he whispered, and she looked up to meet his gaze then, cringing at the obvious pain in his eyes. "This is for everyone's safety. I won't be able to get through the day, not knowing if you two are okay. I _need_ this." He paused, before leaning towards her slightly, and adding- "_Please_."

Her eyes softened instantly, and he knew that he had her right where he wanted her. There was no way she would turn him down now- not knowing how badly he needed this reassurance. If staying within his hearing range would make Derek's days more comfortable, there was no chance in hell that Casey would turn him down. She knew how much of a tendency he had to overreact, and freak out, and she would do whatever it took to make sure he underwent as little discomfort as possible.

So she swallowed back whatever fight was left in her, and tightened her hold around his hand, her eyes never leaving his as she nodded her head in agreement with his demands.

"Fine, I'll do it," she gave in, smiling very faintly at her boyfriend as she saw the relief that flickered across his features- the only reassurance that she was making the right choice, here.

"If staying home will make you happy, and keep our daughter safe, there's no question of what has to be done," she confirmed, shrugging her shoulders. "I'll call my work when we get home, and you can go to the school tomorrow, to talk to her teachers. There's nothing worth risking her safety, over."

Though Derek said nothing after that, there was a strong note of appreciation in his eyes as he kept his hand wrapped around hers, starting up the car with his free hand. Nobody said a word as they pulled out of the parking lot of the daycare, but there was only one thing going through all three of the adult's minds as they drove in silence towards the Venturi household, none of them feeling comfortable enough to relax entirely. The only thing that they could think of as they drove towards safety, was that whoever was behind this seriously had to be found, before things could get any worse. This had already escalated far enough, and today's attempted kidnapping had just upped the stakes much higher than they were comfortable with.

And they knew; they were up against a real criminal, here. This guy was definitely good at what he did, and that only meant that Derek and Andrew would have to work twenty times harder, to outsmart him.

* * *

**So I think this drama warrants a review? Back to school has made it harder to update, but I'm really excited for this story, and I will try my hardest to never make you guys wait too long on an update. **

**Thank you to everyone who is reviewing- I love hearing from you guys, even if it's just a word or two! Review, please! Love to hear your thoughts on suspects, things that happen, or even the writing. Thanks!**


	7. Injuries

**There is foreshadowing, once more...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Seven: Injuries**

True to her word, Casey had contacted the school board the moment they stepped through the front door of their house. She had gone with Derek's excuse in the end- that her father was sick, and was going to need constant attention until he could fly back to New York, on his own. He was not sure if they completely bought her lie, for Casey was not the best liar that there was, but nonetheless, they agreed to give her the time off. Casey McDonald rarely missed a day of work, and it would have been almost cruel for them to deny her this one request, if they thought her father was in such desperate need of assistance.

Derek had called the phone company, and requested to forward any calls to his and Andrew's office to his house phone, until further notice. The representitive he had spoken to had sounded curious, but had completed the task without question. Andrew had agreed to be at Derek's house for their regular time, so that they could try and make the best of a bad situation. There was no need of getting off schedule because of a simple change of environment, and they planned to carry on with their work as though they were in their office- not Derek's personal residence.

Derek had promised himself to go to the school first thing in the morning, once Andrew had arrived. He wanted to get this settled away as soon as possible, but he needed to ensure that someone was there with the girls, while he left. He had already called Amber, Rebecca's daycare teacher, and told her that Rebecca was too confused to return to daycare, for the next little while, and that- while he trusted the teachers completely, he would feel more comfortable if he were to keep a close, personal eye on his daughter for the next few weeks. He would tell the school that Rebecca was very sick- mono, whooping cough, chickenpox- whatever it took to make them believe that a lengthy absence was necessary. The school knew that Becca never missed a day unless completely necessary, and Derek knew that they would believe she was seriously ill, if she was missing alot of time from school.

Once Andrew left, at around seven o'clock that night, Derek found himself in the living room with Casey. Becca had gone up into her bedroom, after finally waking up from her post-suppertime nap, and she was keeping herself busy with her Barbie dollhouse. Derek and Casey had told her that she would be out of school for awhile, and while she had appeared slightly disappointed by this, she had not argued with them. She was quite mature for her age, and she seemed to understand that her parents were trying to make the best choice for her, in this situation. Derek had a feeling that the involvement of police, earlier that afternoon, had installed some fear into her. Perhaps she didn't really _want_ to go to school, and risk another stunt like the one she had experienced earlier in the day.

"I just don't get it, Derek," Casey was saying, as she watched her boyfriend pace back and forth in front of the couch she was currently sitting on. He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes focused on the floor as he stalked off in the other direction again, and her eyes followed his every movement as she continued, not willing to let this go.

"There has to be something this guy wants- something that will make him stop," she reasoned, as though this settled the matter. "Does he want money, or something?"

Derek shook his head, his fingers still tugging harshly on the ends of his hair as he continued to pace the length of the room, eyes troubled.

"He doesn't want money," he informed her, recalling having this conversation with his family's stalker, during one of the phone calls. "He wants revenge."

Casey raised an eyebrow then, straightening up slightly in her spot on the couch. She looked more interested now, and there was a definite note of curiousity in her voice as she spoke up, trying her best to sound innocent.

"Revenge, huh?" she questioned, as though it were off-hand. "Revenge for what, precisely? What did we do to him that was so bad?"

Derek sighed, his hand releasing a fistful of hair as he gripped his chin gently, shaking his head.

"We, as a family, didn't do a thing wrong," he assured her, feeling guilty for what he was about to tell her. "He's doing all of this to get revenge on _me- _not you guys."

Casey still looked lost, and she gave a nod towards Derek, waiting patiently.

"Explain, please," she urged him, and without further argument, he took in a deep breath, and continued.

"From what I could tell, he blames me for putting someone behind bars," he explained, shrugging his shoulders as he continued to pace, his eyebrows creased together thoughtfully. "I guess he figures it's my fault that he doesn't have this person around anymore. He told me that... that if he couldn't have someone he cared about, than neither could I."

Casey frowned, shaking her head. It surprised Derek that she was not more panicked over this- over the idea of someone wanting to take her away like this, but he supposed that she knew how to handle such things better, after everything that she had gone through seven years ago. The idea was probably still absolutely terrifying to her, but she had learned how to channel that fear accordingly, as not to alarm anyone else around her. Rebecca was relying on her parents to stay calm, in a situation like this, and while both parents were equally as freaked over this mess, they understood that their daughter had to be their first priority.

"So basically, you're saying there's no stopping him," Casey said, a knowing look in her eyes as she raised her gaze to his, surprisingly calm. "You're telling me that this person... he won't stop until he gets what he wants- until he takes us from you?"

Derek's eyes immediately focused more intensely on her figure, as he let her words sink in.

_Was_ that what this meant? Was Casey correct in saying that their time together was limited- that seperation was inevitable? He could only hope that there was an alternative, something other than the blatantly obvious path that their future was slowly curving towards. He could not imagine a world where Casey and Rebecca did not exist- nor could he imagine living his life without them in it. He had a fairly active imagination- one that often got the better of him, but when he tried to think of a life without his girls, he could think of nothing but darkness and misery, pain and unhappiness. The only thing he could really picture in his mind, when he thought of life without his girls, was his own misery.

"No matter what happens, you two are going to make it out okay," he assured her, though he made no concious effort to include himself, in that statement. He hoped that she would not pick up on this, for he knew she would question the meaning behind it, and he was relieved when she merely nodded, forcing a smile.

"I know how good you are at this sort of thing," she confirmed, looking slightly shaken, already. "I know you'll try your hardest to keep our family intact- to keep us all together."

He did not reply to that statement, for she was only half correct in what she was saying. Yes, he was good at this sort of thing- it was his job to be good at it. And true, there was nothing he would love more than to keep his family together- all three of them. But despite what Casey thought, keeping them together was not his main goal. While he didn't want to get hurt in this, he could truly care less about his own safety, so long as the two of them made it out of this okay. His main priority was saving _them_, way before he would worry about himself. He would be careful not to promise her that they would _all_ come out of this okay, because honestly, he doubted it himself. Somehow, he could not see this ending happily for all of them.

"Like I said," he said, taking a deep breath as he finally came to a stop in front of her, lowering himself down onto the couch next to her. She eyed him warily, and he slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her snug against his side. She immediately relaxed against his waist, his voice comforting her almost instantly.

"I'll do everything I can... everything it takes, to make sure you're okay- Becca, too."

He paused, and he was glad that she could no longer see him as he closed his eyes, cringing as he swallowed hard, fighting back any trace of a negative emotion in his voice. He didn't want to alarm her- not at all.

But he wasn't going to lie to her, either.

- - - -

Derek had been dreading this part of the evening since Casey had mentioned the idea to him in the car. He fully understood that they had to talk to their daughter about what had happened, and that they had to warn her to stay away from similar situations when approached in the future, but truth be told, he had hoped that this was a situation he would never have to face with his daughter- his own pride and joy. Sure, all parents warned their children not to wander off with strangers, and to always be careful when approached by someone they didn't know, but no parent should ever have to acknowledge that the situation was a real, and frighteningly possible scenario.

Nonetheless, as Rebecca bounded down the stairs at around twenty after seven, looking much more cheerful than she had been a few short hours ago, Derek knew what had to be done. As difficult as this conversation was going to be, he fully understood that no amount of discomfort could shy him away from doing something that would ultimately protect his daughter. Rebecca wasn't a stupid child; she knew not to wander off with strangers, but this afternoon's incident had proved that she could be very trusting, if said stranger offered her any personal details, whatsoever.

Rebecca was seated in the armchair now, her legs folded underneath her comfortably. She was wearing a pink pair of jeans, and a white and pink striped t-shirt. Her light brown hair was pulled back with pink bobbles into two careful pigtails- Casey's work. On her wrist was a beautiful, silver charm bracelet that Casey had bought for her on her third birthday. She only had three charms on it so far- as every birthday brought another new charm, but her parents made sure that each charm held meaning- that every year, she would receieve something meaningful amonst all of the toys that would be broken, lost, or forgotten in just a few short months.

As of right now, she wore a birthday charm, a graduation charm that represented her graduation from her preschool class, and one that her mother had given her, which shared both of their birthstones. The bracelet lay against her wrist now, glistening beautifully in the faint light of the light shining above them.

Shifting his gaze from the bracelet, he fixed his eyes on his daughter, his arm still wrapped strongly around Casey's waist. He could feel her natural maternal instinct fighting through as she smiled warmly at her daughter, pushing aside her own worries and concerns.

"Becca," Derek started, clearing his throat to relieve his voice of any tension. He felt Casey's eyes on him, and he knew that she could still hear the note of uncertainty in his tone, that small hint that he wasn't as calm as he was trying to come off as. He tensed, and her hand squeezed his gently, a subtle reminder that she was here with him, that _something_ was okay in this mess that was currently his life. As long as they were here, everything was still okay- something still made sense, to him.

But it was very obvious that Derek had no control over his emotions right now, and if there was anyone who could read him like an open book, it would definitely be Casey. She seemed to understand that he was too tense to even attempt doing the majority of the talking, and it was with that mentality that Casey sighed, placing her free hand on his knee as she took the lead, lifting the majority of the weight from his shoulders.

"Your daddy and I want to talk to you about what happened today," Casey explained, and as she spoke, Derek was once again reminded of one of the many reasons that he loved her so much. She had a surprisingly helpful knack of keeping her cool in tough situations. This often came in handy, during those times when he just couldn't contain his own emotions. Sort of like now.

Taking a deep brath, Casey continued.

"We know you're very mature for your age, and we know that you'd never wander off with strangers, right?"

Becca nodded, biting down on her lower lip very gently, as though she was worried that she was in some sort of trouble. Casey must have sensed this in the little girl's eyes, for she quickly shook her head, smiling genrtly at her daughter.

"You're not in trouble, Beck," she assured her, and the worry on Becca's face instantly faltered, showing a calmer front. "We just want to make sure you know what to do if something like that happens again."

Becca nodded her head somberly, a very serious expression on her face.

"Walk away, tell my teacher, and don't go off with strangers," she rhymed off, and Derek got the feeling that those exact words had been dictated to her several times that day, for it sounded almost like a memorization, by now. He knew that everyone must have been shooting the same thing at her all day, and with that in mind, he smirked, finding his courage as he leaned forward, grinning at his daughter.

"You wanna know my solution to dealing with creepy looking strangers?" he asked, ignoring the cautious look that Casey threw his way, perhaps sensing the mischevious gleam that was currently lining his voice like lace. Anyone with even half a brain knew to stop Derek from speaking when he had that adorable little smirk on his face, though few were able to resist it long enough to get so much as two words in.

But Casey held her ground, turning her head so that she could look at the man sitting next to her.

"Derek," she cautioned, shaking her head at him. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but his smirk only grew wider as he winked at her, turning back to his daughter. Casey frowned uneasily, but fell silent, waiting for the inevitable stupidity that was sure to leave her boyfriend's mouth next.

Becca was watching her father curiously, and Derek merely laughed, a hint of nervousness still lingering even in his laughter.

"You tell 'em not to mess with a Venturi, and then you kick 'em right in the-"

"Derek!"

"-butt," he finished, grinning for real this time as he flashed her his most innocent look, the red in her cheeks cheering him up instantly. If there was one thing in life that could cheer him up in even the darkest of his hours, it was Casey's fury, especially when directed towards him. The anger in her eyes had a special sort of gleam to it, like a candle lit especially for him, and there was nothing more than could make him smile.

Rather than yell at him, she merely shook her head, turning back to her daughter with a half-disgusted, half-appalled look on her face. She was quick to shrug out of the hold that Derek currently held around her waist, and he merely smirked as he settled back against the couch, feeling much more comfortable than he had only moments before. It was much easier to feel relaxed when he was joking around, or annoying Casey, because so long as he was preoccupied with something more energy-consuming, he had no time to think about the horrible situation that his family was in, right now.

"Point is, we just feel that you should know it's _never_ okay to go anywhere with anyone other than your daddy or me, alright?" Casey said, making sure every word was clear and precise, so that there would be no misunderstandings between them.

"Anyone in our family is okay, but outside of that..."

"What about uncle Andrew?" Rebecca asked, her eyes round as she gazed at her mother curiously, obviously wondering if her godfather fell under that category. As amused as Derek already was, he could not help it when his smirk tapered off slightly into a more genuine smile, knowing that his daughter seemed to include his best friend in their own family. It was true, really, that Andrew was family to them, and he could hardly understand why Becca would have to question it at all when Casey said 'just family'. Andrew had always been a part of their family, and that should never be questioned.

"Uncle Andrew is okay too," Derek said, and a quick nod from Casey signalled that she was okay with this, as well. Leaning forwards, he laced his hands together in front of him, his eyes fixed very seriously upon the kindergardener that sat before him.

"So can you list off who you're allowed to go with?" he asked her, aware that she was not stupid, but wanting to make sure that she knew and understood the limit of 'just family'.

Becca nodded seriously, her hands against her folded knees as she glanced up at the ceiling, apparantly thinking hard. Her forehead scrunched together as she spoke off, ticking each family member off as a number on her finger as she spoke.

"You and mommy, uncle Andrew and uncle Edwin, auntie Marti and aunt Lizzie, Grandma and Grandpa, and..." she paused, frowning slightly as she looked back at her father, obviously puzzled. "What about Sammy and Ralphy? Emily and Sheldon?"

Derek and Casey shared a hesitant look, unsure of what to say to that one. They trusted their four best friends with all of their hearts- really, they did. And honestly, any other time they would be perfectly okay with letting their daughter go to any of those four friends. All of them had babysat the little girl at some point, and it was never a concern that she would come home safe and sound. Emily and Sheldon had a four year old of their own, and Sam had two nieces that he babysat frequently. Trusting their friends with their daughter was definitely not an issue.

But trusting their daughter to someone who had no idea of the danger that Rebecca was in, giving her to somebody who had no idea what to look out for, or had no idea that there was anything to be on the watch for in the first place? Honestly, they weren't too comfortable with that idea. At least their family had always understood the possibility of attack, and would be ready for it, if it were to ever happen. The encounter with the Wilsons years ago had seriously shaken them, and there was never a time when they let their gaurd down completely. They knew the real story, the _true_ story. And as much as Sam had known, Derek had never repeated every last bit of what had gone on, to him. All Sam really knew was the basic plotline- the key points of Casey's kidnapping. The McDonald-Venturis knew _everything,_ and even if they didn't know of this new threat, they had always understood that watching out for the five year old was trickier than looking after any other child, seeing as her father was an investigator, and her mother had already been kidnapped once. Edwin really knew the most about all of it- considering he had been the one that Derek had confided in during Casey's kidnapping, but they all knew what had gone on.

So when it all came down to it, they loved their four friends, they really did, but their daughter's safety was much more important

And Derek had a good feeling that the same sort of thoughts were running through her mind right about now. The cautious look in her eyes was much too bold and defined to be completely oblivious to the implications of giving their daughter to their friends, and with a simple nod of the head, he knew what had to be said; he knew that, when he voiced his own decision, there would be no doubt in her mind that he was making the right choice. His decision would speak for both of them, this time.

Squinting at his daughter, he sighed deeply, trying to relieve himself of any audible tension in his voice. He knew that a vast amount still existed there, but he chose to believe that only Casey would pick up on it, this time around.

"We trust all of them, we really do, but... right now, there's alot going on, and..." he paused for a moment, and when Casey's nod signalled for him to continue, he took in a deep breath and carried on. "Right now, it's best if you just keep it within our family, with the exception of Andrew. We don't want to chance anything happening to you, baby girl. After all, what would life be like without a little monster like _you _running around the house, right?"

The sturdy look on the girl's face broke then, and a silly giggle slipped past her lips, her eyes gleaming with happiness as she caught sight of her father's smirk. Casey smiled faintly at her boyfriend's ability to cheer their daughter up, and Derek merely grinned as he leaned across the arm of the couch, ruffling Rebecca's hair playfully to try and relieve the remaining tension, in the room.

"Anyone outside those boundaries are off limits, alright?" he said, grinning at her to make the situation a little more comfortable, for all of them. "You don't go with anyone outside the family, no matter what they tell you. Got it?"

Becca nodded her head, a half smile on her lips as she unfolded her legs, placing her feet firmly on the hardwood floor again.

"Got it," she confirmed, and her choice of words were the only thing that really reassured Derek that any aspect of this would turn out okay, in the long run.

- - - -

Derek left to go to the school at around ten o'clock the next morning, after briefing Andrew on about ten thousand unnecessary precautions. Andrew had merely smirked and nodded his head as Derek had brought him around the entire house, showing him where every single window and door was, ensuring that Andrew knew how to double and triple check every single way in and out of the house. He told him to do a check at least once every hour, because you "never know" when someone could gain access to a locked door or window. Andrew had rolled his eyes at these instructions, and had seemingly decided against mentioning that a tour of the entrances to the Venturi household was totally and completely unnecessary, to him. He had practically _lived _here, for the past seven years. If anything, he could probably give someone_ else_ a tour of the entrances to the house.

After about twenty five minutes of lecturing and useless triple-checking, Derek had finally felt comfortable enough to leave the house, and his girls, under Andrew's careful surveillance. He had been wary of leaving them at all, but he knew that his girls were just as safe, if not safer, in Andrew's hands as they were in his.

By quarter to eleven, Casey had decided to go on down to the basement and do some laundry. Derek had refused to let her out of his sight the night before, and while she felt that he was overreacting just a little bit, she had obided by his foolish request that she stay within his visible distance. He was completely freaked over everything that was going on, and she hadn't wanted to make it any worse.

Andrew, however, was much more lenient with her. He saw nothing wrong with Casey disappearing from his sight to do a couple of loads of laundry, so long as she knew he was just right upstairs, if she needed him.

So that was how she found herself in the basement at eleven o'clock that morning, sorting Rebecca's red clothes away from Derek's white undershirts, remembering what had happened the last time the colours had mixed. She would never forget how embarassed Derek had been when he had been forced to appear in public with the collar of his undershirt completey pink. A shopping trip had been required only a few short hours later, and it had been her money that had paid for a new set of white shirts, in the long run.

Casey laughed at the memory, sighing as she threw another one of Rebecca's long sleeve shirts into the washer. She reached for one of Derek's red shirts, but drew back when she heard a slight shuffling noise, slightly to the right of the laundry room. She froze, her entire body tensing as she racked her brain for some logical explanation, for the unexpected noise.

Panicking, she ran over the basement's floorplan in her mind, desperately searching for a comforting answer that would explain this. Closing her eyes, she took a visual right from the laundry room in her mind, before realizing that she would end up in the playroom, where Rebecca spent alot of her freetime. There was a Playstation three in the playroom, along with alot of Marti's old toys, and the overflow of belongings that Rebecca could not find a place for, in her bedroom. While the little girl avoided the basement in the winter, due to the colder weather, she was often comfortable playing down here in the warmer seasons, so long as sowmeone was in the basement with her. As brave of a five year old as she was, she was slightly freaked by the idea of being in the basement by herself.

Rebecca had seen her mother coming down to the laundry room with two baskets of laundry- one from each bedroom. She must have decided to come on down, while there was someone else only a room away.

_'Yes,'_' she thought to herself, laughing nervously as she picked up the red shirt again, tossing it into the washer. Rebecca was playing in the room next to her; that was all.

As she thought this, she heard another sound to her right, this one much more louder than the first. She frowned, for the noise was almost like a deliberate tapping. The tapping was not what alarmed her, for that could have been easily explained by Rebecca playing with any number of her toys.

No, what bothered Casey was that the tapping sounded like it was much too high to be within her daughter's reach. In fact, the tapping sounded almost like it was on the basement window, which was a small rectangle in the far right corner of the room.

Frowning, she dropped the third shirt she had just picked up, making her way towards the playroom nervously. She could feel her mind racing with frightening possibilites, but at the same time, she did not want to jump to conclusions, like her boyfriend was so famous for. This could be explained by almost anything. Perhaps Rebecca had taken her father's absence to her advantage, and decided to go outside to play.

Even as she thought of the possibility, she knew that it was highly unlikely. Rebecca rarely went against her father's careful instructions, and Casey knew that even the five year old girl knew how serious this situation was. She would not disobey her parents, in a time as grave as this, even if Andrew wasn't watching her with such a sharp eye, upstairs.

Nonetheless, as she took a right into the playroom, she saw no Rebecca, and her eyes flew instantly to the small window, resting quietly against the far right wall.

"Rebecca?" Casey said, her eyebrows furrowed together as she took a step towards the window, squinting. "Is that you, baby?"

She knew that the question was irrational, irrelevant, even. Becca would not hear her, even if she _had_ gone against her parent's wishes, and gone outside to play.

Frowning, she looked down at the floor, unsure of what to make of this situation. There had to be some other explanation for the noises she had just heard. Not everything suspicious that happened turned out to be something horrible, right?

She was just scanning for other logical possibilites in her mind, when there was an ear-splitting crash above her head. Her head snapped up instantly, but it was barely a millisecond before she found herself raising her hands over her head to sheild herself from the million shards of glass that were suddenly flying away- reminants of the much larger piece that had moments before been her basement window.

Despite her makeshift shield, she felt several shards of glass fly through the smallest of gaps, piercing her skin cruelly, each slice as painful as the slip of a knife. She felt tiny slits carve into her face and arms as the glass penetrated her skin bitterly, and it was all she could do not to cry out in complete and total agony. She might have, if she was not working so hard to keep her eyes and mouth closed, not wanting the vicious agony that was currently ripping through her skin to have the chance to damage her eyesight, or her primary method of communication.

As the final shards of glass came to rest around her stiff, shielding body, she remained in the same position, not wanting to look down at the blanket of destruction that lay around her, now. She was half contemplating crying out for Andrew's help, if he had been deaf enough not to hear the shattering of glass from beneath his own feet, but before she could utter a single word, she felt herself being slammed against the nearest wall, her body flying effortlessly through the six or seven feet that had formerly stood between the surface, and herself.

Pain shot through her neck suddenly, and she could immediately recognize the feeling of an elbow digging into her stomach, and a hand closed around her neck. Her breathing immediately ceased as the person- a man, from what she could feel by the rough hands- continued to tighten their grip around her neck, ignoring the coughing and sputtering that escaped her formerly silent lips as she struggled for air.

Her hands were pinned between them now, and she could feel that her opponent must be much larger, much stronger than herself. She could hear them grunting as they dug their elbow harder into her stomach, making the need for air even greater, but she heard no hint of exhaustion, no audible sign that this struggle was putting any physical stress on the enemy.

She had barely realized that she was struggling against him, until she heard a dark, rough voice speak up in front of her, angry and seemingly annoyed with her useless fidgeting.

"Dumb bitch," he muttered, pulling her entire body back, and slamming her hard against the wall again. She felt the back of her head connect with the hard plaster of the wall, and the pain of it was enough to make her eyes fly open in absolute agony. If she could have gasped, she would've, but the hand against her neck prevented any air from passing through to her lungs.

And then, she heard it. A voice so familiar and warm that she could've sworn it was an angel himself, come to save her.

"Casey!" she heard the apparant angel cry, sounding panicked. "Case, are you okay?"

And just as quickly as it had started, it had stopped. The man before her had frozen, and after cursing quickly under his breath, he had thrown her against the wall, and had taken off towards the window again, clambering desperately towards safety. She gasped for air, grabbing at her throat as she recognized the loss of the extreme pain against her throat, and her stomach.

She heard footsteps now, and she looked up, panicked, to see her boyfriend's best friend running towards her, eyes terrified, hands outstretched. Everything was blurring around the edges as she reached for his guiding hand, desperate for reassurance...

And she guessed that was when she passed out.

* * *

**Review if you want to know what happens! As I said, there was foreshadowing. **


	8. Roadtrips

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Eight: Road Trips**

"Rebecca," Derek called out, as he walked through the front door of his house, with Rebecca's pink bookbag in hand. "You can calm down now, I've got homework for you to do."

He chuckled to himself as he stuffed his car keys into his jacket pocket, pulling open the door that led from the porch, to the hallway that would connect him to the living room.

"Honestly, Beck- you're truly your mother's daughter. Who actually _wants _to do homework?"

He trailed off immediately as he took a step into the living room, his eyes adjusting to the scene around him. Usually, when he came home, he was immediately filled with a feeling of completion, and warmth. Coming home to his girlfriend and his daughter usually overwhelmed him with a feeling that he couldn't even describe in words- something that was completely beyond what he understood. When the rest of the world was too much, he could always count on his home to be his sanctuary.

But today, when he walked into the room, the only feeling that washed over him was one that told him there was something wrong- something wasn't right. He had always gone by his gut instinct, and thus far, it had rarely proved him wrong.

When he focused on the room, he saw that the only two people in the room were Casey, and his trusty best friend, Andrew. He noticed Andrew first, and observed that his friend was kneeling next to the couch, his face panicked, and his eyes concerned as he continued to rub Casey's back soothingly. If any other guy had dared to touch her like that, there very well might have been heads coming off, but with Andrew, it was different. He had always trusted Andrew to love Casey in the appropriate way, and his friend had never let him down.

And when he caught sight of the condition that his girlfriend was in, he rather felt that he wouldn't care _who_ was comforting her, so long as someone was there to care for her in this mess.

Casey was an absolute _wreck_. When he had left the house an hour ago, she had been her usual beautiful self- smiling and pleasant. There hadn't been a thing visibly wrong with her when he had left her, and now? Her face was pale with what looked like a lack of blood, shock, or maybe a little bit of both. Her hair was messed up slightly, and was pushed forwards over her shoulders, to make room for the icepack that was resting against the back of her head. Derek could not see the back of her head from where he stood, but he assumed that there must be a bump underneath the icepack, and that she must be bleeding somewhere, since the towel that was lying against the pillow behind her was covered in the red mess.

There were little slivers of red peppered across her cheeks and neck, along with her upper arms, and he could see that the coloration came from small droplets of blood that had formed, there. Squinting harder at the small speckles of blood, he saw that her skin was covered in tiny little cuts, as though someone had showered her with a sheet of aciculated glass. The cuts seemed to range mostly across her arms, and he sensed that- whatever had happened, her arms had acted as a shield- one that had protected her from the majority of the damage.

Nonetheless, she was clearly injured, and Derek was never one to take her injuries lightly. For minor, more light-hearted injuries, he might have made some sort of snide comment about her general klutziness, but he knew without a doubt that this was serious- this was not a laughing matter. This was serious, and he planned to treat it with as much maturity as he possibly could.

He could feel panic rising in his throat as he practically fell forwards towards the couch, dropping the few bags in his hands to the floor carelessly. His ears picked up on the gentle thud of the bags hitting the floor, but he was already kneeling by Andrew next to the couch by the time he recognized that he had purposely dropped anything. And when he _did_ realize it, it didn't matter, because nothing mattered but making sure Casey was alright.

"Casey," he choked out, his hand immediately flying to her cheek as he brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her pale cheeks, His eyes scanned over her body nervously, as though looking for any other sign of injuries on her body. When he found none, his vaguely relieved eyes immediately flew to hers, desperately searching for answers.

"What happened to you?" he managed to spit out, but he did not wait for her to respond as he jerked his head to his immediate left to glare at Andrew, his eyes wrongfully accusing. "What _happened_ to her? I told you to watch her for me! This wasn't supposed to happen, Drew!"

Andrew opened his mouth, but he could not think of anything to say that would calm Derek down. It was obvious that he was going to get angry at whoever he could blame for such an incident, and Andrew knew not to take it personally when his best friend turned on him, in such a manner. He merely shook his head, letting his mouth clamp shut in silence. There were no words that would really be of much use to him, at this point.

Much to his surprise, he was rescued from further criticism when Casey spoke up, driving all thoughts of Andrew far from Derek's mind.

"It's not his fault, Der."

Derek's panicked eyes were immediately fixed on her fragile figure again, and his hands immediately worked to stroke her cheeks, trying to soothe her of any discomfort whatsoever. The frustration and pain in his eyes was very obvious, and it wasn't hard to tell that this was absolutely unbearable, to him.

"Casey, are you okay?" he whispered, sounding absolutely terrified. "Dammit, what happened?"

Casey was white as a sheet, and it was very obvious that she wasn't really okay. The bump on the back of her head only seemed to be getting bigger, though the bleeding was starting to taper off a little bit, and it was obvious to Andrew that she was in a state of shock. She was acting calm enough, sure, but her hands were shaky against her stomach, and the smallest of noises were sending her eyes darting in every which direction, as though she were afraid that it was her attackers, back to finish what they had started.

Derek was careful to avoid the small slits in her skin as he brushed the pad of his thumb across her soft cheeks, his eyes never leaving her face. He was watching her as though afraid she might slip away from him any second, and it was very obvious to Andrew that Derek felt horrible for leaving her at all, today- even if this incident had not been his fault in the slightest. Derek was the sort of person who could get sulky very easily, and when it came to taking the blame for something like _this_... well, Andrew was sure that he would not hear the end of it for weeks to come.

Sighing, Andrew pulled himself up onto the arm of the couch, sitting on the armrest just above Casey's head. He had sensed from the very beginning that Casey would not be serene enough to try explaining this when her boyfriend got home, and he knew now that he had been correct in assuming so. Her eyes were already half closed again, and her voice had been weak enough when she had spoken those five little words aloud, a few moments before.

Knowing what had to be done, he reached out, placing a hand delicately on his friend's shoulder, trying to gather his attention.

Derek immediately tensed, his already indignant eyes turning upon his best friend, his gaze already full of accusation, and some strange sense of dread. For one brief moment, Andrew froze in his spot, sensing that something in Derek's formerly obsessional fear had just worsened, but he shoved it to the side as he took a deep breath, removing his hand from his friend's shoulder. It fell to his knees carelessly as he spoke up, his voice taut with unease as Derek pulled himself onto the couch, setting himself down as close to Casey as he possibly could.

"Someone broke in through the basement window when Casey was in the laundry room," he informed his friend, not breaking their intense eye contact. He sat something like realization and alarm flash through his friend's eyes, but Derek did not say a word as Andrew continued, wanting to get all of the information out there, so that his friend would be caught up to speed on the current situation.

"They smashed through the window, and some of the glass managed to cut her," Andrew said, with a nod towards the tiny cuts on Casey's arms.

Derek grimaced, his eyes bitter as he smoothed his girlfriend's hair back off of her forehead, unaware of the fact that she had drifted out of conciousness, only moments before. Neither man was really paying her much attention, for Derek's attention was focused primarily on hearing what had happened, to get her in this state. He could still feel her chest rising and falling against his side, and really, that was reassuring enough, to him. A few moments of peaceful resting could not hurt her any, right?

"From what Casey told me, there was only one guy that came in," Andrew carried on, watching his friend carefully as he tried his hardest to recall everything that Casey had told him, only twenty minutes beforehand. Her voice had been weak, and the words had been difficult to pick out, but if he thought hard enough, he could decipher and recall some of the words that she had let out, as she tried to form a coherent sentence to her rescuer.

"She didn't see this guy come in through the window, but she said he slammed her up against the wall, and put his hand around her throat. She told me that she... she couldn't breathe, at the time."

At this, Derek's face visibly tensed, and his eyes returned to his motionless girlfriend, his expression shocked. When he saw that she had fallen asleep, he relaxed, pushing aside the thousand questions that he had wanted to ask her. If she could escape from this hell that was currently their life, if only for a few moments... who was he to interfere? He would let her sleep; he would let her exist in a better place, for even these few precious moments.

Biting back his anger and curiousity, he turned his body towards Andrew again, leaving one hand gently against her cheek. The other was clenched into a fist against his knee, and he kept his gaze fixed on the ground as he dug his fingernails against the palm of his hand, frustrated.

"Continue," he got out, through gritted teeth.

Andrew stalled for a moment, perhaps taken aback by Derek's obvious restraint, but he ignored it as he went on, telling of what came next.

"She told me that he had one elbow dug against her stomach, and that she felt like she was going to pass out, from lack of air," he continued, choosing not to look at the pain that flickered across Derek's face as he closed his eyes, obviously trying his best to block out the mental image of a breathless, bleeding Casey. Andrew shuddered, and tried his hardest to do the same as he went on, relieved that he only knew the limited side of the story. He could not imagine trying to tell Derek the more graphic, personal version of things.

"I guess she was fighting back, though she says she can't remember that, because the man... he called her a 'dumb bitch', and slammed her head against the wall."

Derek's head lifted then, and before he could say anything, Andrew had nodded, knowing exactly what his friend had been about to ask him.

"Yes, that's why there's an icepack on her head," he confirmed, and Derek's gaze fell to the floor again as he nodded, falling silent.

"I came pretty quickly after that," Andrew explained, obviously more comfortable with this section of the story, since he had actually been of some assistance, here. "I had been in the upstairs washroom when the window broke, but I was on the main floor when he slammed her into the wall. I heard that, and when I called out to her... the guy shoved her into a wall, and took off. I think he figured that she had been home alone or whatever, but when he realized that I was here with her, he was gone. He probably didn't want to try anything with anyone else around."

He stopped speaking then, for there was nothing more for him to say. He had told Derek everything he knew, and there was no longer anything that he could share, with his obviously enraged co-worker. Derek's hand was still clenched tightly into a fist as his chest rose and fell heavily, each breath a very visible struggle, to him. His face had turned a most alarming shade of crimson red, and the only relaxed part of his entire body was his right hand, which was still holding onto Casey's cheek tenderly, for he would never inflict pain upon the woman he loved.

Biting the inside of his lip, Andrew contemplated whether or not it would be appropriate to question whether or not Derek was really okay, at this point. He knew that this situation would seemingly take some time to process, but he wouldn't put it past Derek to get up and go on some sort of rampage, driving around London at top speed until some of his anger had dissolved. And while he pitied Derek, and knew that the man really did need some sort of anger release, he was also aware that letting an angry and revenge-driven Derek behind the wheel would be as good as giving a serial killer a loaded revolver. It would be a crime against humanity, to let Derek out of the house in this state of mind.

"Derek?" he asked quietly, tilting his head to try and get a look at the man's newly opened eyes, to see how he was handling it. When he saw that Derek was staring at the carpet blankly, he cringed, leaning forwards slightly towards the anxiety-ridden man.

"Derek, she's okay," he assured him, completely confident in his own words. "She told me that she's in alot of pain, but that she doesn't want to go to the hospital."

"And you _listened_ to her?" Derek challenged, his head snapping up as he turned his angry glare towards Andrew, tone accusing. "Casey doesn't think rationally in times like these, Drew. Hell, she doesn't think rationally _period_. She tries to convince everyone that she's completely independent, and that she doesn't need anyone else's help, but that's never the case. If I had been here-"

"But you _weren't_ here," Andrew stressed, almost toppling over the side of the couch as he threw his hands up in the air, clearly frustrated. "Derek, you know just as well as I do that if you were to come home to an empty house in the midst of everything that's going on, you'd absolutely freak."

This was true, and there would be no point in Derek arguing with him, on that. If he had come home to find his house absolutely empty, he would have gone nuts. There was no doubt in his mind about that.

But this truthful statement only cost Derek one moment of hesitation, before he flashed Andrew a very forced, complacent smirk, clearly assuming that he had the upperhand in this argument.

"You could've called, or left me a note even," he pointed out, as though it were obvious. "She needs to go to a hospital, and I think you know that."

"And I think you know that _you'd _be in the hospital, if I had done either of those things," Andrew retaliated, raising an eyebrow pointedly at his friend. When Derek merely shot him a dubious look, Andrew sighed, propping his elbows against his knees casually, his hands hanging in front of his legs as he fixed his eyes on his friend.

"Think about it," he challenged, his voice purposely slow and deliberate, as though he were explaining the alphabet to a small toddler. "If I had called you and told you that Casey had been attacked, or if you had come home to find a note... what would you have done?"

Derek snorted, rolling his eyes at the unnecessary question. Honestly, what sort of question was that? The answer to this one was pretty obvious, in his opinion.

"I would've gone straight to the hospital, and then I'd find the unfortunate bastard who did this to her, and make sure he pays for what he's done."

Andrew chose to ignore the resurfacing of Derek's violent streak, passing it off as nothing more than another last ditch attempt to protect his family. Derek could be extremely violent with people who offended his family in anyway whatsoever, and Andrew had always thanked his lucky stars that he had gotten on Derek's good side, as early as he had. He was a generally friendly man, but nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of Derek Venturi, when it came to how you treated his family.

Regardless, someone had to talk some sense into him from time to time, and since the usual rational median was currently unconcious, Andrew supposed that he would have to fill in, for today.

"I know you would've gone to see her at the hospital, if I'd taken her," Andrew confirmed, nodding his head. "That's not the issue here. The issue, is that you would've broken every law in the book trying to get here on time, and it wouldn't surprise me if you were the cause of the biggest accident of the year, trying to get to her."

For one moment, Derek looked as though he were going to challenge Andrew further, on that point. His mouth had opened, and he had raised his free hand, as though he were about to point a challenging finger at his friend.

But when it came down to it, even Derek understood thar Andrew was absolutely right, on this matter. Putting himself in a mental situation of what he would've done, had he receieved a phone call or note about his girlfriend's condition, he knew exactly what he would do. His first instinct would be to grab the car keys, and take off towards the hospital as quickly as his car would allow, against the coal black pavement beneath the rubber of his tires. He could visualize it now; he would be frantically dialing the number of anyone he could think of, anyone that Andrew might have called, trying desperately to get some sort of update on Casey. He would not have known how serious the attack had been, or whether or not she was okay...

And in that state of mind, he knew that he would be in no physical condition to drive anywhere. He would only be a danger to himself, and to anyone else on the road, and he definitely did not want to be responsible for anyone's death. The last thing he needed was _more_ drama in his life.

Sighing, he nodded his head, some of the anger that had formerly been directed towards Andrew fading away almost instantly.

"I guess you're right about that," he admitted, cringing slightly as he tried his best to sound sincere. Man, did he ever hate apologies. "I'm sorry for freaking on you, it's just..."

"I know," Andrew said, shaking his head as he held up a cautious hand, not needing Derek to go any further. "You're under alot of stress right now, it's understandable."

Derek snorted, finally removing his hand from Casey's cheek so that he could run both of his hands through his hairl, letting the messy brown strands fall down around his ears carelessly.

"Stress would be an understatement," he replied, unsure of what adjectives he could use to describe his life, right now.

Hectic? Maybe. Panicked? Probably. Hell? Most definitely. There were so many words that came to mind when he thought of the past few days, and yet he was almost certain that not a single one of them could really convey the exact emotion he felt, when he looked at his sleeping girlfriend. He could not help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him as he examined the backs of her darkened eyelids, closed over eyes that would otherwise be fearful, if they could see.

Why were Casey and Rebecca suffering for something that he had done, whether his intention had been malicious or not? If someone was so angry with him for his own actions, why didn't they just come after him? He supposed that it was really a matter of getting even, rather than merely attacking Derek. If they were to attack him, it would be over, end of story. He would be the one who had gotten hurt, and the pain of it would end quickly, for him. He would take a bullet for his so-called "mistakes", and be gone from his world, a word which would inevitably include Casey and Rebecca. And Derek knew that his enemy, Casey's attacker, would much rather repay Derek's supposed wrongdoings, rather than avenge them. Wouldn't it just be so much crueler, to make his pain everlasting? Would it not be that much more painful to force him to go on in a world without the love of his life, and his little girl?

Whoever was doing this knew him well, that much was obvious. They had really done their homework on this one.

"I'm taking her to the hospital," Derek said quietly, his eyes dark behind the shadows of his own pain. The resolve in his voice tightened, and he looked at Andrew with trusting eyes, his expression almost begging.

"Take care of Rebecca while I'm gone," he asked of his friend, and Andrew almost thought that there was something more to that request, something more... long term, as though he thought that Andrew's promise might really count, one day soon. Andrew could only hope that he was wrong, but simply nodded at Derek's request, narrowing his eyes questioningly at the man.

"I'll take care of her, D- no worries."

Again, he was met with that same trusting gaze, and he had to question whether or not there was more behind Derek's request- if maybe the promise he had just made was more of an inevitable thing, rather than a temporary promise. Regardless, it would not matter- his effort would be one and the same, but it still chilled him to know that Derek was already making such arrangements- that he already considered his own eventual absence from the girl's lives a very likely possibility. It was so much easier to pretend like this wasn't happening- to pretend that a seperation was not as obvious as it seemed, right now.

After all, what would the Venturi residence be, without it's leader- Derek Venturi?

- - - -

Derek had told bold faced lies to the doctors at the hospital, just as he had completely made up her entire accident report form. According to his story, Casey had slipped when she was coming down the stairs, and had hit her head off of the concrete of their basement floor. This was impossible, as their basement floor was actually carpeted, but nobody at the hospital really knew that. He had explained the cuts on her face as reminants of the broken picture frames that had fallen from her hands when she slipped.

The nurses at the hospital had fixed Derek with some very suspicious looks the moment they caught sight of Casey, as though they suspected that her injuries had been the result of something- or some_one_ else, but they had let it slide when they saw the impatient glares that he had returned their looks with. He was not here to be judged; he was here to make sure that Casey would be okay, and he was not willing to waste any time. If there was something seriously wrong, he wanted it to be corrected as soon as possible, before any permanent damage was done.

Derek had managed to worm his way into the examination room, despite the nurse's constant arguments against him. He had argued all of the doctor's points that her injuries were "not too serious", and had demanded a second and third examination of almost every cut and scrape on her skin. He hadn't really thought that he was being too demanding, but the doctor must have thought so, for he had finally been kicked out of the room after about forty-five minutes, at which the doctor claimed he was being too pushy. Derek had merely scoffed at the idea, and complained that none of them knew what they were talking about, but a pointed look from Casey told him that he needed to leave. Personally, he felt that he was just doing his job to the best of his ability, but it was obvious that Casey and the doctor thought otherwise.

And really, they were probably right. It wasn't uncommon for Derek to be blinded by his own personal opinion, and when it came to Casey, he tended to be particularily stubborn, even if he tried his hardest to be agreeable, and reasonable.

By the time the doctor let Casey go, about twenty minutes after his own dismissal from the examination room, his nerves were practically gone through the roof. He was perfectly aware that she was going to be okay, and that her injuries really weren't very serious. The doctor's biggest concern had been the head injury, which he had still been assessing when Derek had been kicked out of the room. He had been examining the possibility of stitching the cut, and it had been Derek's comment about how he "should know these things right off the bat" that had finally gotten him fired as her hospital companion.

When he finally saw Casey coming towards him, he could not help but breathe out a sigh of relief at the sight of her. Her face was still scattered with tiny little cut- evidence of their broken basement window. Her neck was already purple and black, and Derek could make out the shape of handprints on her neck. He could practically feel his stomach clenching at the thought of how hard someone must have had to squeeze her delicate neck, to turn it such a colour. It hurt even more to think that she had not been able to breathe, during the duration of said attack.

It also occured to him that the handprints on her neck would be very difficult to explain, should anyone dare to ask him how they had came to be. Sure, he could spout out all of his useless ranting about how she had fallen over the stairs, while carrying a couple of glass picture frames down to the basement for storage, but even he knew that the story sounded pretty lame. Usually, he was good at lying. He could normally come up with a million and one cover stories to swing people's suspicions in the opposite direction, but it became a hell of alot harder when his mind was focused on his girlfriend, and making sure she was okay. He honestly didn't care much if anyone believed his story, but he knew that abuse held serious consequences, and if anyone were to start something out of this... well, it would not be good. He did not want to draw his family into more police attention than necessary, right now. His daughter was already the center of an investigation at her daycare, and Casey's computer violation was still the center of much discussion, amongst the teachers at the high school. The the last thing he needed was someone piecing together that their family was heavily misfortunate, lately. The more people that knew about their situation, the less chance that he had of actually catching this guy. These things worked much better when it was kept hush for as long as possible.

Shaking himself from his serious stupor, he pushed himself up out of the plastic,blue hospital chair, his back already hurting from the sheer discomfort of it. He pushed his own pain aside as he forced the smallest of smiles onto his lips, extending his arms as Casey made her way towards him. She looked absolutely exhausted, and completely stressed out, but she somehow found it in her to smile as she took the final steps towards Derek, her arms wrapping safely around his neck. He felt his own arms encircle her waist, holding her close as he buried his face into her soft, brown hair. He felt the fruity scent of coconuts meet with his nostrils,and he breathed in deeply, sensing something further in her scent. There was something natural there too, something that he could always associate with her. The only name for it could really be Casey, because he could not seem to find it anywhere else.

Her body was still shaking slightly, and he knew that she just wanted to leave, and be alone with him for a little while. Aside from her daughter, there was no real reason for her to want to go back to their house. She was probably tired, sure, and sleep could really do her alot of good, but he also knew that her former sactuary now felt unsafe to her. They had thought she would be safe there, if nowhere else, and for someone to come along and violate the one place where she had previously assumed to be safe... well, it must have shaken her. He could fully understand her need to be away from everyone else, and just be with him, for a change. Rebecca was in safe hands with Andrew for the time being, and he knew that it would not be in her best interests to go home, right off the bat. Despite her strong front, he knew that she was scared silly, and she felt completely and utterly violated by the attack against her, in her own home.

His mind was made up then and there. Whether or not she said otherwise, he would be taking her out for awhile. She would thank him for it later, and he knew that taking her home right away would be too rough. She needed some time away from home, away from everything but the man who loved her. She needed comforting, and it was Derek who could always provide that.

"Are you feeling okay?" he murmered into her hair, holding her protectively in his warm, strong hold. He felt her nod her head, and he could already sense that this was a lie; this could not be further from the truth. She wasn't okay, and she was not fine. She just didn't want to admit to what she felt was a weakness, in front of anyone else.

"We'll get you out of here soon," Derek whispered against her ear, his eyes flickering up to where the doctor was coming towards them, clipboard in hand. "This won't take long, I promise you."

She nodded, sensing his reasoning behind such words, and she allowed herself to pull away from him, not arguing against the arm he kept wrapped around her waist. He was not willing to let her go completely, and he could feel her hand press against his chest as she clutched onto his t-shirt, not wanting to let go of him completely, just yet.

"Mr. Venturi," the doctor addressed, fixing him with a very polite nod as he came to a stop in front of the couple, looking quite serious. "I'm going to allow her to go home for tonight, since she appears to show no sign of head trauma. She was able to answer almost all of my questions very coherently, there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage, and the cut wasn't deep enough for stitches, so..."

"So she's good?" Derek questioned, wanting to be certain. "She can leave?"

The doctor nodded, smiling very faintly at the two of them. While he appeared pleasant, Derek could have sworn that his eyes lingered cautiously on Casey's neck for the briefest of moments, as though he was still uneasy, about the cause of the injury. Derek felt his cheeks go red, and he knew without a doubt that he was the prime suspect, here. Nobody would believe for a second that this handprint-shaped bruise had originated from Casey's fall. And while anyone who knew Derek knew that he would never hurt Casey, there were plenty of people who did not know that. As obvious as their love was, not everyone was aware of Derek's soft spot for his girlfriend.

Clearing his throat, Derek raised an eyebrow, trying to grab the doctor's attention. Casey hadn't really taken much notice of her doctor's actions, for her eyes had fallen shut as she placed her head against Derek's shoulder, clearly exhausted. Derek felt his arm tighten around her waist, and he was just aching to get her away from here, and get her alone. He wanted to be able to talk with her about what had happened, if she would let him. He wanted to comfort her, to let her know that he would not leave her side without extra protection again, if he could help it. He wanted to promise her that she would be okay- that she wasn't going to get hurt again.

And most importantly, he wanted her to feel safe and protected- something that was seemingly impossible, in a hospital full of complete and total strangers. And despite his lack of knowledge, even the doctor seemed to sense that Casey wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. She was not asleep, but her eyes were still closed as her arms wrapped tight around Derek's waist, her body snug against his side. He never once removed his arm from her waist, and he gave the doctor a pointed look as he raised an eyebrow, posing a question without words.

Catching Derek's drift, the doctor nodded his head, stepping back to allow them access to the door that lay a few short feet behind him. He offered the two of them a weak smile, as though he was not fully confident in releasing Casey to Derek's care.

"I hope you feel better, Ms. McDonald," he said, though his eyes were trained steadily on Derek's face. "If any other... er, _accidents_ occur... be sure to come back right away. You never want to leave these things to chance."

Casey's eyes had opened up now, revealing the crystalline blue orbs behind her lids. She did not smile as she nodded her head, signalling that she would take his advice, and seek medical attention if such a thing were to happen again. Derek almost felt like laughing at the mere idea of such a promise. Did this man honestly believe that Derek would let any injury of hers go by unnoticed? Then again, if the entire hospital staff thought that her injuries were that of his own abuse, then maybe the whole lot of them were crazier than he had initially believed. How could they not see the protective fury in his eyes whenever someone touched her, or the uneasiness he felt when she took even three steps away from his own position. He was absolutely obsessed with her safety and well-being, and anyone who could not see how much he cared about her had to be blind to even the most evident of truths.

He just wished he could reveal the truth. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reveal that this was not his doing. He wanted to tell everyone that, yes, he was lying about Casey's injuries. As much of a klutz as she was, this wide range of injuries had not been her doing in the slightest. She had been attacked, true, but not by him. Her inujuries were the work of a criminal- of some sick creep who thought it was perfectly okay to abuse women, or lure five year old children into his cold, uncaring hands. Just the very _thought_ of this man getting his hands on either of his girls again sent chills up Derek's spine. He could not fathom what might have happened if he had not left Andrew with Casey and Rebecca, today. If the criminal had not heard Andrew's voice over the stairs, would he have just gone for the gold? Would he have kidnapped her? Hurt her even more than he already had?

Or would the consequences have been even more devestating than physical pain? Would the damage have been irreversible, unchangeable? He had no way of knowing the answer to such horrid questions, and he was not too sure he even wanted to know. All he knew was that Casey was safe for now, as was his daughter. And while he had them here, he planned on making every moment count.

- - - -

Casey had regained alot of her energy once they were safely in the car, away from public eye. While she had appeared groggy and uncaring throughout her hospital visit, she had been almost cheerful from the moment she had taken a seat in the passenger's seat of their Eclipse. Whether her calm attitude was for show or not, he had no way of knowing, but he was relieved that she was able to handle this so easily, and with such incredible grace. He fully understood her attitude in the hospital; she had been surrounded by complete strangers, by people she did not know or trust. After her terrifying encounter that afternoon, it was completely understandable for her to be just a little bit on edge, and a bit jumpy. She had been attacked; she had good reason to be extremely cautious, especially since the attack had not been random at all. She was a target, and as a former victim of a kidnapping, she understood better than anyone that you could never let your gaurd down, when it came to criminals.

Nonetheless, she seemed to be handling it quite well as they drove off towards Casey's favourite restauraunt, where Derek had insisted on taking her to dinner. She had not eaten in eight hours, and despite her claims that she "just wasn't all that hungry", he had insisted that she eat at least three quarters of a meal, for his own peace of mind. The last thing he needed was to be worrying about whether or not she had eaten, on top of everything else that was already pin-balling around through his mind, his thoughts inter-connecting in some messed up, intricate web.

"I still don't see why we have to go to Toronto for the night," Casey noted, raising an eyebrow at Derek as she turned her head towards him, her feet propped up against the black cushion of the passenger's seat beneath her. Her arms hugged her knees against her chest tightly as she shrugged one shoulder, trying to make Derek see sense in what she was trying to tell him.

"I'd be perfectly okay with going home, eating a frozen dinner, and going to bed for the night."

Derek sighed, his eyes never leaving the coal black pavement beneath him as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel, trying to remain focused on the road. He was leaning against the door of his side of the car, one elbow propped up against the ledge beneath the window, his fingers tangled through his messy brown hair, which had been blowing haphazardly in the wind for the first forty-five minutes of their drive, before Casey had finally requested that he put the windows up, because she was too cold. He had laughed at her, and told her that she was being much too girly, but nonetheless, he had put up the window, before offering her his jacket. He may love teasing her, but that did not mean he was going to be a complete cad. He wasn't cold at all, and he really didn't want her to get cold, after all.

"We can't go back to the house tonight," Derek explained to her, for what felt like the ten thousandth time since they had left the hospital. "The basement window is still gone, and if you honestly think I'm letting either you or Rebecca stay in an unprotected house for the night, you're crazier than I thought. I'd never get a second of sleep, worrying about the two of you all night."

Casey rolled his eyes, but they both knew that he had a very valid point, and that returning to their house tonight would be a very foolish move on their behalf. Their family's safety was not worth jeopardizing for something as insignificant as having the comforts of their own home, for one night. Andrew Wallace had been more than happy to take Rebecca back to his place for the night, and as much as the little girl had wanted to see her mother, after today's events, she had been pretty excited to go to Andrew's for the night. She always enjoyed sleepovers, and her and Andrew got along famously. Throw in the fact that Andrew had a top of the line security system installed on his property, and Derek was sold on the idea. He would probably worry about his daughter all night anyway, but that was just human nature, in a situation as dire as this one. He may worry and fret to no end, but in the back of his mind, he knew that Rebecca was safe with Andrew.

And the moment they were back in London, he intended on getting the exact same security system installed in their own house. Clearly, his own "top notch" system, wasn't as top notch as he had thought it to be.He would be cancelling his account with his current provider the moment he had a chance. He suspected that this sicko had found a way to hack Derek's system, and it occured to him that this somebody would have to be trained in something of the same field as he was, to understand the basics of working a security system, and breaking those types of codes. Either he was up against another professional like himself, or he was up against someone who had plenty of experience in this type of situation. Either way, he knew this wasn't good. No matter what, he was up against someone who could apparantly rival his own skills and experience. And honestly? That concerned Derek- it really did.

"How are you feeling?" Derek asked Casey, when she did not comment on his previous statement, regarding their unexpected trip to Toronto. "Is your head feeling alright? Do you want something else for the pain?"

Casey shook her head, unwrapping one arm from her knees to reach down, and close her hand around the tin of diet soda that Derek had purchased through a drive-thru window at the last Tim Horton's they had passed, before turning onto the highway. His own coffee was long gone, but Casey still had a good half of her diet soda left. He had a feeling that her stomach was still too uneasy to handle much of anything, just yet. He could only hope that he would manage to get at least half of a meal into her, when they got into Toronto.

"The pain is okay," she assured him, after taking a quick sip of her soda, and replacing it in the cupholder. When he shot her a doubtful look, she wrapped her arms around her knees again, rolling her eyes pointedly at her boyfriend.

"Okay, so it still hurts alot, but it's nothing I can't handle," she said, trying to rearrange things in a way that would make more sense to Derek. "I've already taken three painkillers, Derek. If I take anymore, I'll probably be passed out for the rest of this car ride."

Derek raised an eyebrow, unable to help the small smirk that crept onto his lips.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" he questioned, trying to refrain from chuckling at the offended look on her features, already. "It's a long drive to Toronto, and don't think I haven't forgotten what an annoying car buddy you can be. We drove back and forth enough during university for me to know how you travel."

Before she could say anything, he was grinning, and he had put on the most ridiculous of facial expressions, one that was meant to mock her own. He screwed up his face in mock-torment as he glanced over at her quickly, being sure to keep his right hand steady on the wheel.

"Derek, you're driving too fast. Derek, the radio is too loud! Derek, I don't _like_ this song. Der-_ek_, you're going to get us _killed_! Derek, you just missed the exit!"

"Der-_ek_!"

Derek laughed then, switching hands against the steering wheel so that he could reach over and ruffle her hair playfully, trying to show her that he was just kidding around with her.

"I'm just fooling around, babe," he assured her, his smile completely genuine, for the first time in what felt like a decade. "You know I... er, _adore_ your travelling company."

Casey rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest in obvious protest. Her cheeks were blood red with a mixture of anger and embarssment, but he also knew that a part of her- no matter how small- wanted to laugh. Because everything he had said was absolutely true- to an exaggerated point. She truly was a bit of an annoying car buddy. She had a tendency of being a little bit of a backseat driver, and that was something that Derek had never been able to tolerate, even when they were back in high school. There was a very good reason why they did not travel to Toronto frequently, and while he always claimed it was because of the cost of gas, it was truly because he could not stand being in the same car with Casey for more than an hour. Whether it was speed, or songs, or directions, they could never agree on anything, when it came to the smallest of road-trips.

"I vote Casey takes control of all future road trips," Casey said pointedly, slipping her feet back onto the floor as she slumped down in her seat, obviously trying her best to make a strongly expressed point. Her lips were still set in the cute little pout that Derek absolutely adored, and he had to bite back laughter as she continued, her voice annoyed and offended.

"I'm a much better driver than you anyway, and I have _way_ better taste in music."

"You, _taste_?" Derek repeated incredulously, as though it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in history. She turned her head to fix him with one of her "What's your point?" looks, and he snorted, shaking his head.

"You wouldn't know taste if it came up and bit you right on the butt," he teased, enjoying the crimson red blush of her cheeks. He could so easily remember the pale, lifeless look of her cheeks earlier that afternoon, when her body had been in need of more blood, and his smile faltered slightly as a shiver travelled up his spine, his entire being fully aware of just how lucky he was. How easily he could have lost her, if Andrew had not been there. How easy it would've been, for someone to knock her unconcious, and sneak her out the basement window, if no one else had been home, that afternoon.

And suddenly, he was no longer smiling. The previous high that he had been receiving from her offended and sulky pouts was suddenly evaporating at a rate faster than he could even comprehend, and he was left feeling cold and empty- vulnerable and weak. If there was one thing Derek Venturi hated feeling, it was weakness, but right now, he felt as if this person- this sick freak that had the guts to call himself a man- was honestly giving him a run for his money. He had found Derek's weakness- exploited it, really- and he seemed to have absolutely no problem with using that weakness for his own sick pleasure.

Casey, perhaps noticing Derek's sudden change of attitude, reached across the space between their seats, resting her hand softly against the back of his neck. He knew that she could feel his tense muscles beneath her smooth palm, and her hand quickly worked to try and relieve him of some of that stress. He could feel her small, but strong knuckles kneading into his tender neck, and it was all that he could do to incline his head into her seemingly magical touch. To be honest, her mini-massage was not doing much for his tense muscles, but the relief that her touch brought him in general was wonderful. Just to feel her hands on his skin was enough to reassure him that the worst had not happened. She was still here, alive and well, and that was all that could ever matter to him.

Outside the vaguely tinted windows of his Eclipse, the sky was beginning to grow darker, and the night was struggling against the ash-pink sky. It was trying it's hardest to break through the blue and pink streaks that had been fading for well over an hour now. In the distance, he could almost make out the figure of the half moon, fighting it's hardest to literally outshine the sky, and take it's rightful place, if only for a few hours.

The sky was beautiful, if one were to really sit down and take in it's depth, but it was all background noise, to Derek. For so long, he had ignored how amazing it was to have his girlfriend here with him, and now, as he sped along the Ontario highway with her at his side, he could think of no one else he would rather spend his time with. Just the feel of her hand against his seemingly unworthy skin was enough to make him happy, and he could not imagine this night without her. The beauty of said struggling sky could mean nothing, compared to her gorgeous smile.

Casey could very obviously sense his pain, and her hand was suddenly clamped within his, no longer massaging the stiff muscles in his neck. She had tilted her head towards him, trying to look into his eyes, perhaps to see what he was feeling, right now. His eyes were usually a dead giveaway of his emotions, when he was especially vulnerable, and while he tried not to be too open about his emotions, Casey could usually read him pretty well.

"You're upset about something," she noted, squinting at him as a frown appeared on her lips, a sign of her confusion. Derek ignored her, grunting almost inaudibly to himself, but it was apparant that Casey heard him anyway, for she released her hand from his, running it through his hair gently, trying to push the messy brown mop of hair away from his forehead. This did no good, as his hair had a mind of it's own, and flopped back into place almost immediately, but her only reaction was a disappointed sigh, and the rejoining of her hand with his.

"Why are you upset?" she asked him, and if it had been anyone else, he would have denied the negative emotion even existed, before telling them to mind their own business. He was never usually one to open up so willingly to other people, but with Casey, it was different. He could recognize the emotion in her voice as concern, and sincerity, and he knew that she only wanted to help him.

With this in mind, he drew in a deep breath, deciding to acknowledge the fact that he was upset, but try to steer clear of an in depth discussion on it. He could only hope that she would understand; she knew that he hated these sorts of things.

"It's nothing too big, Case," he lied, shrugging one shoulder carelessly. "Really, I've just got alot on my mind right now, that's all. It's nothing for you to be concerned about."

He hoped that this would satisfy her, but after nearly thirteen years of dealing with Casey McDonald, he should have known that a simple, half-thought out answer would not sit pretty, with her. He fully expected her to dive even further into the matter, and it did not surprise him when she shook her head at him, and did exactly that.

"Anything you do concerns me, Derek- just like you want to know about everything I do."

Derek shrugged one shoulder, letting out a non-commited grunt to her.

"Well, not _everything_," he tried to reason with her, but she merely shook her head again, not willing to let him get away with that one.

"Nuh-uh, Venturi- not gonna work on me," she said, and she ignored the eye-roll that he fixed her with, at this comment. "You see fit to poke your nose into practically everything I do, and I have every right in the world to question anything you do, as well."

Derek cocked an eyebrow at her, his eyes never leaving the road as he ran his thumb across the back of her hand absent-mindedly, hoping it would soothe her a little bit, if not completely.

"I'd love to tell you all about it, really, I would... but you know how I feel about all of this... _talking_ stuff," he forced out, knowing that this excuse would work no better than his first attempt. When she tilted her head at him in disbelief, her eyes round at the concept of him even _trying_ such a number on him, he gave an impatient sigh, rolling his eyes at her.

"Fine," he gave in, releasing his hand from hers, and running it through his hair. He blew out a slow and patient breath, his eyebrows scrunched together as he struggled to come up with the right words, to explain to her how he felt. As hard as he tried, he could not come up with the right emotion, the right words to express how grateful he was, that she was his, and that she was still here with him today. He could never find the correct way of verbalizing how much she meant to him, and he always fell back on his physical expressions and actions to show her how he felt about her.

That became a whole lot harder, when he was driving.

"l just... I don't know what I'd do... if... you know, this whole thing..."

"-didn't work out?" she finished for him, her voice soft and understanding. He remained silent, his lips firmly shut, and she placed her hand gently on top of his, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Derek, I understand why you're worried. I know how difficult this is for you," she assured him, nodding her head as her eyes remained trained on his face, unwilling, or unable, to wander from his seemingly perfect features.

His brow furrowed even further, and he gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter, his teeth tugging on the inside of his lip as he fought back the urge to tell her that she could never truly understand how difficult this was for him. When he had regained control of his impulse, he raised an eyerow at her, releasing his tender lower lip from the harsh grip of his teeth. There was so much he wished he could say to her, but instead, he found himself saying;

"I don't think you could ever fully understand this."

She raised an eyebrow, perhaps offended by his lack of faith in her, and he quickly shook his head, not wanting her to fall under the wrong impression.

"I didn't mean it in a degrading sort of way, you know that," he assured her, and her expression quickly dissolved into something more relaxed, more seemingly patient. He waited, wondering if she had something to say, but when she remained silent, he continued.

"I just mean that...the responsibility of taking care of your girlfriend and daughter is one thing. That responsibility gets twenty times more complicated, when death threats start pouring in."

Casey frowned, her forehead wrinkling as she stared down at her feet, contemplating what Derek had just said. He knew that she could grasp a vague _idea _of what this might be like for him.

Without waiting for a response, he continued.

"It's not like Emily and Sheldon, Casey, or like Kendra and Brad. Their responsibilites are so much easier than mine, right now. It takes alot of courage, to put on this stupid brave face that I put on for show, every single day. I'd love to see them suck it up and do something like this, for their girlfriend."

Something in Casey's expression changed, and he was very surprised when she snorted, folding her arms pointedly across her chest, as though protesting against his words.

He instantly felt the shift between them, and he could not help but tense against his seat, his expression darkening as he fixed her with an uncertain look.

"What is it?" he questioned, unsure of her sudden change of heart. "What did I do?"

She turned her head, her eyes squinting at him curiously, as though she were wondering if they were really on the same thought train, sometimes. He racked every last corner of his mind for something that might make sense of her sudden attitude- for something that could explain this, but he found he had nothing. He just didn't understand this girl sometimes, and he very much doubted that he ever would.

"Sheldon and Emily are married, Derek," she reminded him, shrugging one shoulder as though it were obvious. "Kendra and Brad are engaged. Brad and Sheldon... they took that final step. They... they _sucked it up_, or whatever it was you called it. You can't say they aren't brave."

Derek stared at her, any previous thoughts immediately evaporating from his mind. He was sure that his mind had formerly been racing with a million and one different things to say, but as of right now, he was blanking. For all that he could do, he could not force his brain to recall his previous train of thought. All he could think of were the words she had just spoken, and the meaning that could very well be behind it.

"Is that supposed to be a hint?" he questioned, not entirely sure on this. "Because if it was..."

She quickly shook her head, her cheeks turning red as she leaned back against the passenger's seat, arms still folded.

"It wasn't a hint," she said, quite obviously lying. "Forget I said anything."

There was silence between them for a moment, and he could practically feel the tension between them, mounting higher and higher with each passing second. She was lying now, and they both knew it very well. He was unsure of whether or not she wanted him to honestly drop the topic, and leave her alone, or whether this was just a test, to see how well he knew her. Did she actually_ want_ him to press the matter further, or was she being completely sincere when she had told him to drop it?

He decided to take his chances, and go further on it. After all, what right did she have to insinuate he was not brave, based on the fact that he hadn't plucked up the courage to propose to her? That _was _the issue at hand here, he assumed.

"Just because we're not married, doesn't mean I don't love you, Casey," he told her, his eyes narrowed suspiciously as he glanced over at her, making sure not to hold her gaze for too long. The last thing he needed was to get them both into an accident, after everything they'd already gone through today.

Insecurity flickered across her features, and he knew then that she had honestly wanted him to end the discussion; that this was not something she wanted to go into much detail about, right now.

Well, she couldn't _always_ win, right?

"There are different ways of showing love, and if you think not being married devalues my love for you in anyway..."

"That's not what I'm saying, Derek," she said quickly, her cheeks redder than ever as she shook her head, not once raising her gaze to meet with his. "I'm just saying that... I dunno, we've been together seven years now, and-"

"And what?" he interrupted, feeling incredibly insecure. Her eyes now darted over to his, and he held her gaze for a moment, eyes sparking slightly with anger. He was trying his hardest to keep said anger contained, but she should have known that it would be a touchy subject, for him. He rarely wanted to discuss marriage, and it was an even rarer occasion when he wanted to discuss their _lack _of finalization.

"Let me guess, Casey," he said, reacting defensively, now. "You think marriage will _finalize_ everything. You think it'll prove my comittment, if we tie the knot; is that it?"

She was shaking her head desperately now, her eyes rounded at his sudden defense, surprised at how easily worked up he was getting over this. Even Derek himself knew that he was being ridiculous here, but he could not help it. He hated discussing this sort of thing, and Casey knew it. Why did she constantly bring up things that she knew made him uncomfortable? He had his reasons, and whether or not he chose to share those reasons were up to him.

"I don't have to _marry_ you to prove to you that I love you, and if I do, then..." he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders haphazardly. "I dunno. If you need a marriage to feel official in a relationship, then maybe it's _you_ who needs to rethink your priorities."

With that, he fell silent, and while they both knew that he was completely wrong, and even moreso in denial, neither of them spoke of the matter again. While they both knew that Casey had a million arguments she could use against him, she did nothing of the sorts. For the remainder of their drive to Toronto, she sat completely still in her seat, eyes closed as she held her tongue, not wanting to start another brawl with him.

And Derek, well Derek just sat there, running over everything he had just said in his mind. He knew that he had been childish- hell, he had been _wrong_, and he could admit to that, though not to Casey, just yet. He knew that it was wrong to accuse her of not being completely certain of her priorities, when it came to them. She was just as balanced as he was, and he was perfectly aware that she had absolutely no plans on leaving him. Despite what he had told her, he knew that everything he had just said had been complete and total bullshit. She loved him just as much as he loved her.

Even if he didn't really deserve that love, sometimes.

* * *

**Please check the poll I have posted in my profile, regarding this story. It is asking who you guys think is behind the attacks! **

**So this chapter was 11,000 words in itself. It was originally twice as long, but I'm going to cut it into two chapters, considering how long this one got. It just would have been much too long, if I had left the next part in.**

**But speaking of which, the next part will give you a few hints on the upcoming parts of this story, and the next chapter is VERY Dasey ! So review, if you want an update please! Even a simple 'love it' or 'hate it' is helpful. And if you have any questions, just ask in a review or PM me, I'll always answer :) Peace ! **


	9. Fistfights

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Nine: Fistfights**

It was nearly eight o'clock at night by the time Derek and Casey had finished up dinner, and checked into a hotel for the night.

Derek had found them a four-star hotel, claiming that he could "do something nice" every now and then, and that he wasn't a complete unromantic. He would not let Casey inquire about the price of the suite he had rented out for the night, especially after he had just bought them both dinner at what was her favourite, but also one of the most expensive restauraunts in Toronto.

"I still say you could've saved a small college investment for Rebecca, and had us bunk with your brother for the night," Casey said sarcastically, as she tucked her hair behind her ears, and leaned forwards over the bed to reach for her purse.

Derek, who was sprawled out lazily across an armchair close to the fifteenth story window, merely raised an eyebrow at her, a tiny smirk creeping onto his features as he acknowledged what she had just said.

"So you don't like the room, huh?" he questioned, his voice smooth and deliberate as he shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the concern. "That's alright. I wasn't planning on spending the whole night in appreciation of the hotel room. The bed is all that matters anyway, right?"

He laughed as a faint gasp slipped past her lips, and she picked up the nearest pillow, tossing it almost violently at him from across the room. Her aim was weak, and he caught the offending pillow very easily in his grip. He quickly tossed it back to her, aiming directly for where she had picked it up from. It landed easily without discourse, and he yawned, shrugging his shoulders.

"Just telling the truth," he pointed out, for they both knew that he was probably right. "Besides, Edwin has some new roommate, now. Peter, I think his name is."

"Peter?" Casey asked, her forehead wrinkling as she flipped open her cellphone, her eyes scanning the screen. "I never heard him mention any Peter before."

Derek shrugged his shoulders, slinging his legs over the edge of the chair casually, something that Casey heartily, but yet silently, disapproved of. He was glad that she chose to ignore it as he spoke up in reaction to her statement.

"He just moved in a couple of weeks ago, from what I can tell," he explained, not seeing the big deal. "Peter Kirkland, I think his name is."

Casey hesitated for a moment, her body visibly tensing as she flipped her cellphone shut again, eyes glimmering momentarily with what could only be panic. Derek sensed this, and his protective side reacted almost immediately, wanting to make sure everything was okay.

"What is it, Casey?" he questioned, and he could hear the panic in his own voice, now. "What did I say- what's wrong?"

Her eyes, which had previously glazed over with what he knew in his heart was complete and total panic, suddenly cleared of all extreme anxiety. Before he knew what was happening, and was fixing him with what he knew was a forced smile, one that was quite obviously for his benefit, and his benefit only. Her muscles instinctively relaxed, and she shook her head at him, signalling that he had read her expression wrong.

"Nothing's wrong," she informed him, her voice lingering with recognizable deceit. "Everything's okay. I was just... I spaced out for a second. I'm sorry."

She was lying, and he knew it. Some people may look at a lying Casey and see nothing at all suspicious, but Derek knew her much better than that. He knew that she was trying to fool him, and despite his curiousity on the matter, he knew that it would be best to just let her win, this time. If it were anything terribly serious, she would be brutally honest with him, and he knew that. If she wanted to keep something to herself, who was he to stand in her way? As long as she was not keeping anything serious from him, he was satisfied, and he knew that she would never do that to either of them.

"I'll take your word for it," he decided, his voice still slightly uncertain as he squinted at her, shaking his head, apparantly still unconvinced. "But if anything is bugging you, or if you think you know anything, I want you to come to me with it, do you hear me?" he asked, his voice serious as he watched her, not approving of the way she would not meet his gaze.

"Casey?" he questioned, wanting to be sure that they were on even ground.

She raised her head slowly, and the look of absolute avoidance and anxiety in his girlfriend's eyes startled him beyond belief. There should be no need for such uncertainty, if she were really sure that this was not serious in the slightest.

"Casey," he repeated, no hint of humour in his voice whatsoever. "You'll come to me if you think there's something going on, right?"

She did not meet his gaze, but she nodded, chewing on her lower lip shyly as she folded up her tank top, placing it almost delicately on the nightstand next to their bed. She was wearing a plain black tank top now, as they had briefly returned to the house to get a change of clothes for the night. On her legs were cute little blank and pink girl boxer-shorts. They only came about a quarter way down her thigh, and Derek had to smirk at the large surface area of skin that was revealed, still.

Her light brown hair was flipped evenly over each shoulder, the elegant pulverous strands falling down around her chest as she leaned across the bed once more, reaching for her overnight bag. She did not say another word as she began unpacking her belongings for the evening, and he wished now more than ever that he could read her mind more veraciously, at times. There was clearly something on her mind at the moment, and he wished more than anything that he could help her work through this with as little trouble as possible.

But she remained completely silent, her gaze still slightly distracted as she finished emptying the contents of her bag into their appropriate places. She placed the empty bag on the floor next to the bed, before bringing one hand flush against her hip, frowning as she looked around, trying to find something else to distract her unjustly clouded mind.

Sensing his opportunity, Derek pushed himself up out of the lazyboy chair, his feet meeting with the floor safely. With his eyes trained on Casey's slim figure, he crossed the room, moving behind her so that he could wrap his arms smoothly around her waist, his grip protective and steady. He was being incredibly gentle with her- for he knew that she was peppered in cuts and bruises at the moment, but at the same time, it was not hard to tell that- when Derek held this beautiful girl in his arms, he had no intentions on letting her go, metaphorically speaking. There was absolutely nothing that could deflect Derek's primitive attention from the well-being of his girlfriend.

Resting his chin against her shoulderblade, he pressed a single kiss against the side of her head, closing his eyes at the soft strands of hair against his red lips.

"You're okay now," he told her, his voice a delicate, airy whisper against her ear. She closed her eyes, and he felt her smooth hands fall effortlessly over his own across her stomach, as she tilted her head back against his own, eyes closed. He could practically feel a need for reassurance radiating off of her, and he moved his lips down further this time, pressing a gentle kiss against the smooth skin on the base of her neck.

"You're safe with me," he whispered, his hold on her tightening protectively. "You're always safe in my arms."

Her voice broke through the tension in the air- smooth, placid, and yet broken, all at once. There seemed to be a lifetime of pain in her voice, something that had not been present, even the night before.

"I'm scared, Derek," she admitted to him, and he felt his stomach turn at her confession. He should have expected that this discussion would come. It had been inevitable, really, but it was also a topic that he had hoped to avoid, for hearing fear in his lover's voice was not exactly something he enjoyed.

He was unsure of what to say to her, for nothing could turn back the clocks now. Casey had always been a strong girl, he knew that better than anyone else. And if someone as brave and courageous as Casey could admit to being afraid, in such a dire situation, then he knew there was reason to be concerned. There would be no easing her worries anymore, not now that she had owed up to her own problems. All he could do now was hold her and love her, and do the best that he possibly could to protect her. He could think of nothing that would ease her fear entirely.

"I know you're scared," he murmered, but before he could continue, she had turned to face him, never straying from his arms. She placed each hand against the clothed bulge of his toned, muscled upper arms, and it was all he could do to pull her a little bit closer, swallowing nervously at what she might tell him.

"I've tried hard to put on a brave front, and act like this is all okay," she explained, tears in her eyes as she choked out her words, obviously slightly hysterical, right now. "When I found out there was somebody after us, I wasn't too affected by it. We've been through alot, and there's not much that phases me. But _this,_" she emphasized, with a defined nod towards her many cuts and bruises. "_this_ is way too much to deal with now, Derek."

His eyes fell shut again, and as much as he wanted to look at her, he found that he could not bring himself to open his eyes and face her. He had caused her such incredible pain, and for that, he was unworthy of the pedestal she had so wrongly placed him on. He was not perfect- he was nowhere close, and it was about time that they both realized that.

"The computer getting hacked, I could handle," she went on, either not noticing, or not responding to, his obvious distress. "Sure, it was a violation of my rights, and it's creepy to have someone knowing everything about me, but I could handle it. Rebecca getting approached at daycare shook both of us, and I know we can both admit to it, but even that doesn't compare to what happened today."

Pain fluctuated throughout his entire being, numbing anything other than the blinding realization that _he_ was to blame for all of this. He alone had brought this stalker, this sicko, this _creep_ into his family's life. It was his fault that Casey's computer had been hacked, and that Rebecca had been the target of an attempted kidnapping. And while his eyes were closed, he could clearly picture every last gash that had been left on her dazzling, fragile skin today. He could make out every interruption in the usual creamy-white pattern of her skin's surface, which was now stained with multicoloured splashes- evidence that violence truly existed, in their world.

In his eyes, it was all his fault. He had caused such harm to someone so pure and innocent, to someone who had never done a thing to have such treachery deposited upon her shoulders.

"It could've been Becca," Casey whispered, and there was a definite note of hysteria in her voice now. He was still too scared to open his eyes and face her, but he did not require proper vision to know that she was extremely close to crying. He could hear every unshed tear reflected in her voice, in the lump that must be practically ripping at her throat, by now.

"So easily, it could've been our little girl," she carried on, unaware that her words were slowly destroying what little self-worth Derek still believed in. "What if she had been playing down there at the time, Derek? What if she had been the one under attack, instead of me? Do you honestly think she could've survived something like that?"

"Stop it," he finally choked out, the effort sending searing pain tingling through what felt like every nerve in his delicate throat.

"Stop what, Derek?" she questioned, and he knew without a doubt that their conversation would not end here. He loved Casey, there was no doubt about that, but there were times when he wished that she would not be so stubborn- that she could learn to drop a topic, when someone appeared uncomfortable.

Sadly, that had never been the case, with her.

"You need to break through this asinine denial stage you're currently stuck in, and begin to realize that this is more serious than even you thought," she went on, and he opened his eyes in time to see her shrug her shoulder, as though her point were so final, so _definite_.

She had no idea how wrong she was.

"I think I'm quite aware of the consequences here, thanks," he retorted, trying to keep the animosity in his voice to a minimum. "I don't need you throwing in my face what I already know."

His face was crimson, but whether it was from anguish, or actual anger, he could not tell. There were too many emotions shooting through his mind right now, that there was no way to be certain on which one was more dominant, at the present time. The only thing he knew for sure was that he had never felt this vulnerable, this open, this _human_. He was here with the girl he loved, something that should bring him immediate gratification- instant joy and mirth.

But right now, despite the girl he was holding in his arms, all he felt was excruciating agony- a blame so fierce, it was threatening to take him over altogether.

"Just drop this, please," he requested, his voice no longer lingering with anything pertaining to even mild happiness.

He chanced a glance into her stunning blue eyes, trying his hardest to ignore the salty tears still collecting against the brink of her long lashes. The smallest of insults could set her off now, and he knew that he would have to watch what he was saying. This could be a problem, since he often lost control of his temper, in such dire situations, but it was all he could do to try his hardest not to upset her. He would make no promises, but he would never intentionally cause her anymore pain than he apparantly already had.

He knew that she saw the pain in his eyes, and he knew for damn sure that she must have perceived such a potent emotion in his voice. Even a blind man would have been able to sense Derek's anguish, at this point.

But whether she wanted to continue with the conversation, or she was not prepared to deal with his pain, she chose to continue. He could only hope that she honestly believed her words, because it would hurt to know that she had willingly continued with a conversation that she knew was breaking his heart.

"You need to face reality, Derek," she conveyed, her eyes softening at the obvious pain in his voice. He looked away again, and he felt her hand cover his cheek gently, stroking the smooth surface as she tried her hardest to protect him from his own pain.

"I'm not trying to say you're dealing with this irresponsibly, I'm really not,"

_'Huh,'_ Derek thought to himself, supressing a very sarcastic snort. _'Could've fooled me_.'

"All I'm saying is that you need to realize what _could_ have happened today, if Andrew wasn't there, or if it had been Rebecca instead of me."

He could feel it now. A fluctuation of pain, where the beat of his heart should have been.

"I know what would've happened," he uttered, repulsed by the very thought. "You could've been killed, either one of you."

Her eyes were honey-warm now, soft as cotton, and he knew deep down that she could not comprehend how much this was affecting him. It hit him so strongly because he blamed himself, but for Casey, who had never done a thing wrong... well, she could not begin to imagine such an intense guilt. She had never experienced anything such as this, and he would be very surprised if she ever did.

But as her boyfriend, as her partner in life, he knew it was his duty- his utter responsibility- to try and explain himself to her. She would want to know how he felt, just as he always wanted to know exactly how she felt. Who was he to deny her something that he would undoubtedly ask for, in the same line of respect?

"It kills me, thinking that I could've lost one of you today," he spoke up, trying to keep his voice steady, despite the fiery affliction that was steadily gathering in the rear of his throat. Swallowing back every ounce of hesitation and resistance, he ploughed on forwards, wanting to get this out in the open.

"I may not tell you this enough, and hell knows when I'll repeat it again, but I... I live for you guys, Casey."

He dared to glance into her eyes, wanting to check her reaction. Relief momentarily interrupted the pain as he acknowledged that she had already known this. Despite his avoidance of the subject, she had no doubts in her mind that Derek's world revolved around her and their daughter. Hell, that they _were_ Derek's world. The acceptance and understanding in her eyes proved that.

But there was still much to address

"I wouldn't be upset with you if you blamed me," he said, shaking his head at her softly. "If you want to find someone to blame for this mess, you can trace it back to me. I'm the one he wanted revenge on in the first place."

Casey shook her head, her hands caressing Derek's cheeks as she tried her best to reassure him that this was in no way, shape, or form his fault. As she placed her hands against his shoulders again, she finally spoke up.

"I don't blame you, not at all," she assured him, not a hint of dishonesty in her voice. "If anything, you're the reason we're still here today."

Derek's brow furrowed, and he shook his head at her, clearly not understanding her statement.

"How do you figure that?" he questioned, figuring that she was using this as a plot to try and make him feel a bit better about himself.

But despite the sympathy in Casey's eyes, it was not hard to tell that her words were genuine, and her expression sincere. Despite her pity for his situation, it was obvious that she was not lying to make him feel better. In situations such as these, she was compelled to be brutally, and completely honest.

"If you weren't here with us, these people would've come after us long ago," she explained, and when he still looked unconvinced, she continued. "Sure, they may only be after me and Rebecca to get revenge on you, but you never caused that. All you've ever done is love and protect us, and believe me when I tell you that that's all I could ever ask of you. I can see how much this has been bothering you, and I know without a doubt that you'd never intentionally do anything that could hurt me our daughter."

He nodded his head in agreement, raising one hand to close over her cheek, holding her face tenderly against his palm.

"You're right about that," he confirmed, voice soft. "I'd never hurt you guys. I know I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes, and I know you wish I would express my emotions a little more from time to time, but I try my hardest to stay true to you two, and make you happy."

A soft smile touched against her lips, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting tighter into his arms. Her chest pressed against his, and he swallowed gratefully as he reminded himself that she was still here. Bruises and cuts aside, she was safe, and so long as he had something to do with it, nothing would change that.

Wrapping his arms around her waist completely now, he pulled her against his chest, hugging her close to his body. His breathing hitched in his throat as her head drooped against his shoulder, her hands clasped together loosely behind his neck. Looking downwards, he could make out the shape of fingerprints, from where her attacker had closed his hands around her throat, and he cringed away from the sight, not wanting to think about how hard he must have squeezed, to leave such visible markings upon her skin.

"You must have been so scared," was all he could force out, more to himself than anything else, really.

Casey pulled back now, her arms still wound loosely around his neck, and her eyes met with his as she thought out her response. He knew that she'd probably give him some sort of half-truth answer, downplaying her level of fear so that he would not worry as much, but he knew deep down that she had been terrified- if not for herself, then at least for their innocent little girl, who could've been targeted just as easily, that morning.

He waited for said response, but before Casey had a chance to get anything out, the hotel room door flew open, and slammed against the wall with a crash.

Casey's first instincts told her immediately that there was danger. After what had happened that morning, he could not blame her for whimpering, and tensing up what felt like every muscle in her body. He could feel her stiffen against his chest, and his own primal instincts told him to protect her. His vision blurred, and all he could concentrate on at that moment was making sure nobody got to his girl.

He hastily grabbed her by the upper arms, unaware of his tight grip, and he forced her behind him, his arms instantly spreading to act as a shield, if anyone tried to gain access to her. He felt her clutch onto his shirt from behind, perhaps seeking his support, in this, but both of their gaurds immediately dropped as they caught sight of the man standing in the doorway, eyes flickering guiltily over the small dent he had made behind the door, where the handle had connected with the hard wall.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, voice deep and somewhat amused.

The man raised his curious eyes to look over the couple, frozen instinctively into place, and he offered them a weak smile as he shrugged his shoulders, giving an awkward little half wave.

"Uh, hey guys," he said shyly, pushing the door shut more gently this time.

"Edwin, I could kill you," Derek muttered darkly, unsure of whether or not he wanted to scream at his brother, or laugh his butt off with relief. On the one hand, Edwin _should_ have knocked before just barging into their hotel room like that, but on the other hand, there were much worse candidates that could've come flying through the door. And between their stalker, and his brother, he was pretty sure he would prefer the idiot standing in their doorway right now.

A twenty-five year old Edwin took a step towards his siblings, shrugging one shoulder as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, stopping a couple of feet away from the two.

"I called your house about an hour ago, and Andrew picked up," he informed them very matter-of factly. "He explained what happened, and then mentioned you guys were coming out to Toronto for the night. A close friend of mine works down at the main desk, so it wasn't hard to figure out your room number."

Derek's stomach turned, and he was sure that his cheeks must have gone paler than a ghost, at his brother's words. When he spoke to Andrew next, he'd have to remember to lecture him for this one. Hadn't Derek specifically told him that he didn't want anyone outside the three of them knowing what was going on? His girlfriend and daughter were in enough danger as it was; he didn't need his brother's life to be threatened, as well.

At his siblings silence, Edwin raised an eyebrow, apparantly taken aback by their choice not to respond. It was a rare occasion when neither Derek or Casey had anything to say, especially when someone practically knocked their door down to get to them.

"I _did_ knock, you know," was all he got out, sounding nervous now. When he still received no response, he frowned, shaking his head. "What, are you guys mad at me or something?"

Before Derek could even take in his brother's words, Casey had stepped out from behind him, putting herself right out in the open. She shook her head, already taking the few steps between herself, and Edwin.

"We could never be mad at you," she said, and Derek sensed the sweetness in her voice that he had learned to avoid. He might've taken the opportunity to warn poor Edwin, if he wasn't still in shock over everything that he had just learned. Edwin knew about their attacker; Andrew had _betrayed _him. Okay, so maybe betrayed was too extreme a word, but he still had a right to be angry, didn't he?

He tuned back in just in time to see Casey extending her arms to Edwin, trying her hardest to give him a hug.

"Come on, Edwin- you're my brother," she was saying, a very knowing smile playing on her lips. "I haven't seen you in a month, now. Don't you think I deserve a hug?"

Edwin, God love him, was still terrified of Casey's "feel good moments". Derek had long ago accustomed himself to hugging Casey, comforted by the fact that there was nothing brotherly about them. He was perfectly okay with hugging her, so long as there was a strictly romantic feeling about it.

But poor Edwin was still stuck in that brotherly role, and because of that, he knew that the poor guy would be forced to endure Casey's ranting and raving about being a good brother.

"Casey, I'm serious. You know how I feel about hugs."

Casey placed both hands on her hips, pouting slightly at the much taller man. Edwin had grown alot over the years, and he stood almost five inches taller than Derek, at this point. His black hair had finally outgrown it's nerdy stage, and it arranged itself much the same as Derek's always had. He was not as strong or built as Derek was, given his lack of athletic ability, but he somehow still managed to come off as sturdy, and even Derek had lost to him at arm wrestling a time or two; not like he'd admit it to anyone.

"Edwin Venturi," Casey scolded, her brow furrowed at her stepbrother now, as she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm your _sister_!"

"_Step-_sister," Edwin corrected, waving a finger at her pointedly. "Which means you should take a _step_ away, and go hug Derek."

Derek raised an eyebrow at the proposal, but Casey waved a hand carelessly at him, as though it were the most ridiculous thing she had heard all day.

"I can hug Derek any old day, but it's not everyday I see you," she reminded him, her arms still folded. "I'm your stepsister, and you haven't seen me in over a month now. Throw in the fact that I'm _injured_, and-"

"You're injured?" Edwin asked, and just when Derek was about to question his brother's memory- not to mention his eyesight- Edwin smirked, taking a step towards Casey teasingly.

"Could've fooled me- you're still as gorgeous as ever."

If Edwin wasn't his brother, and if he hadn't been aware that the guy felt nothing but brotherly love for her, Derek would've had him pinned to the ground right now, hand closed very threateningly over the his exposed throat. Only someone like Edwin or Andrew could get away with making comments like that one. Anyone else was considered competition, and therefore an instant threat. And Derek Venturi had never been one to let his competition get the upper hand.

Casey merely rolled her eyes as Edwin finally gave in, pulling his stepsister into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing gently as Edwin grinned at his brother from over her shoulder.

"Always a ladies man," Casey retorted jokingly, and as Edwin pulled back, he nodded proudly, keeping one arm around her waist as he kissed the side of her head quickly in greeting.

"You know it," he said, before turning to Derek, giving him a half-nod to acknowledge his brother's presence. "Sup, Derek?"

Despite how badly he wanted to question just how much his brother knew about their current situation, he knew that family always came first. He had not seen Edwin in over a month now, and really- it wasn't like the guy was in any immediate danger.

So he forced a smile upon his lips, taking a step forwards so that he could pat Edwin on the back, maybe a little more threateningly than he normally would've. There was nothing like a little brotherly influence to keep the little twerp in line, right?

"How you doin', Ed?" he threw out, trying his hardest to keep his voice as unconcerned as possible, so that Edwin would not suspect his brother's anxiety over the freshly revealed information. Derek still couldn't believe that Andrew had gone against his wishes, like that.

"I'm doing alright," he offered, giving a casual shrug of the shoulder to accompany his words. "Keeping busy with school and stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, you're in your last year of med school now," Derek recalled, raising an eyebrow, obviously impressed. "Working hard, or hardly working?"

Edwin snorted, as though this was the most amusing question he'd been asked all day.

"I've been doing nothing _but_ work," he informed his siblings, and Derek knew that there was not a shred of dishonesty in that statement. Edwin had always been a decently smart kid, but his level of committment to his university education had been surprising to everyone. Nobody had thought that he'd have the capacity to be _that_ dedicated. There was no doubt in even Derek's mind that Edwin would make a very good doctor, in due time.

"It's not as hard to concentrate this year," Edwin admitted, as he unwrapped his arm from his stepsister's waist, and crossed a room to take a seat in the white armchair that sat just below the fifteenth story window.

"What makes you say that?" Casey asked, her brow furrowed as she followed his lead, taking a seat on the matching loveseat, her boyfriend taking a seat right along beside her. "You seem just as motivated to do well as you always did."

"Oh, I am," he confirmed, nodding his head. "But last year, my roommate was Donnie Stevens."

Casey shrugged her shoulders, a blank expression on her face as Derek wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, trying to get control of his nerves. He was relieved that Casey was taking the reigns for this conversation, because he honestly wasn't in much of a mood to be dicussing anything other than his friend's betrayal.

"What's so bad about Donnie Stevens?" Casey asked her stepbrother, though the name was in no way familiar. "From what Lizzie tells me, he's a really nice guy."

A strange look crossed over Edwin's face, and he snorted, leaning back in the chair with his arms folded almost opposingly across his chest.

"Yeah, leave it to Lizzie to stroke the guy's ego even more," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "She had this crazy, irrational crush on him all of last year. She dropped by our room almost everyday just for an excuse to see him."

Derek raised his eyebrow at his brother's words, but ignored what he knew in his heart was jealousy, or at the very least- annoyance.

"So you're telling me you couldn't concentrate on your school work because your stepsister had a crush on your roomate?" he questioned, before chuckling, shaking his head. "God, Ed. Even _Casey_ could have come up with a better excuse than that. If you didn't want to do the work-"

"No no," Edwin interrupted, shaking his head to indicate that his brother had fallen under the wrong idea. "I'm not blaming it on Lizzie's stupid little crush, not at all. It was the _parties_ that made it impossible to get any of my work done. How that boy will ever get a job, I don't know- because he seems to think drinking should be a nightly activity."

Derek laughed; he knew the type. He could almost imagine poor Ed, driving along some dark, deserted road in the middle of the night, grumbling about drunken roommates and incomplete assignments. The poor guy would probably have been amusingly annoyed, but he could understand how serious of a toll that such a responsibility must have taken on Edwin's schoolwork.

"Peter is more serious, then?" he asked, finally understanding.

Edwin merely nodded his head, placing both hands in his jeans pockets as he leaned back against the back of his armchair, sighing.

"Peter's completely serious," he confirmed, sounding pleased about this. "He's alot like me, really- except maybe a little more rebellious. He loves partying, but he knows there's a limit. He makes sure we both have time to get everything done. There's just some sort of balance that I never found with Donnie."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together, and he fixed his brother with a strange look, fighting back the urge to laugh.

"Okay, before you come off as even more gay than you already seem, can we move onto something more important?"

Edwin opened his mouth to argue with Derek, his cheeks blushing the deepest shade of crimson. He quite obviously had an argument against this statement, but he was immediately overpowered by Derek, who continued without giving his brother a chance to voice his opinion.

"You need to promise me you won't tell anyone what Andrew told you," he said, deciding it was best to be extremely blunt with him. "I trusted you with this the last time this happened, and I'm counting on you to be loyal again, alright?"

Edwin looked momentarily confused, and he shook his head at his older brother, as though he didn't understand what Derek was trying to say to him.

"But Derek,"

His words fell upon deaf ears. Within moments, the older of the two had continued speaking, as though Edwin had not interjected at all.

"I mean, I know this is different than last time, and I know that the outcome could be entirely different, but the fewer people that know about this, the better. The last thing I need is the whole world knowing there's some sicko coming after my family again."

Edwin's jaw dropped then, and his eyes were widened slightly with shock at the sound of his brother's words. Even Casey was looking at Derek with a look of absolute surprise in her eyes at his words. Edwin's face was absolutely pale, something that Derek could not understand in the slightest. Edwin had already known about his sibling's situation. Why should hearing Derek say the words make any difference whatsoever, to him? The intial shock should have brought with it this eye-popping, jaw-dropping reaction.

Derek frowned at the younger man, feeling insecure under the looks that his girlfriend and brother were currently fixing him with. "What did I say?"

He turned his head slightly to the left to see Casey shaking her head at him, as though he were the world's biggest idiot. He gave her a confused look, and she merely rolled her eyes, rubbing her temple with obvious frustration as her eyes fell shut.

"Did you _honestly_ think that Andrew had told Edwin the _truth_?" she criticized, and as Derek turned his gaze back to his younger brother, he realized that she was absolutely right. Realization washed over him, and he suddenly felt like a total and complete moron for missing what everyone else had so obviously seen. How could he have been so stupid? Of _course_ Andrew Wallace wouldn't have told Edwin what was really going on. In fact, it was Andrew who so often emphasized that silence was golden, in situations like these. He had always encouraged his own clients to keep their list of confidants very limited, if not completely non-existant. Why the heck would he have gone against that particular moral in light of his own best friend?

"You didn't know?" Derek asked, his throat dry as he gaped at his younger brother. There were no nearby mirrors, but he was almost one hundred percent sure that his face was just as pale as Edwin's, right about now. He could feel the adrenaline pulsing through his veins, and he felt like an absolute idiot when his brother shook his head, indiciating that this was news to him.

Derek instantly racked every last corner of his mind, hoping that it was not too late to bail himself out of this one. If he tried hard enough, maybe he could convince Edwin that he was just fooling around, or that he had been lying. What could he chaulk it up to? Slip of the tongue, some sort of spur-of-the-moment compulsive lying tendency?

"Uh, April fools!" he choked out, offering a shaky laugh as he winked at his brother, nodding stupidly. "Really got you, didn't I?"

Edwin's mouth still hung open in shock, and he knew that there was no chance in hell his brother was going to forget what Derek had told him. The sincerity in his voice had been too real to ignore, and even the troubled look in his eyes would not fade, to match with his lie. It was not hard to know that there was something going on with Derek, and it was not hard to tell that even the lord of the lies was a horrible liar, when he was this nervous.

Casey rolled her eyes at Derek's statement as she smacked his shoulder lightly, shaking her head scornfully.

"Even Edwin knows better than that, you idiot," she said, turning to her younger stepbrother with a serious expression on her pretty features. "Ed, I know you didn't know any of this before, and I know it's a lot to digest, but we need to be able to trust that you won't tell anyone about this. You're the only person besides Andrew who knows, and-"

"You've got people after you again, and you haven't even gone to the _police_ with it?" Edwin suddenly cried, his face going from white to red in less than a millisecond. Derek and Casey remained silent, cringing slightly at his accusing tone, and when he received no answer, Edwin pushed himself up out of the armchair, his eyes narrowed angrily at his brother and his stepsister.

"Are you absolutely _insane_? Have you gone suicidal, or _what_? Why don't you just throw your whole family to the front lines, or something?"

Casey's eyes widened at her stepbrother's harsh words, and while Derek remained silent, she could feel the muscles in his arm tense around her petite waist. She was half afraid of what Derek would do, if his brother overstepped his boundaries and went too far, but another part of her was too shocked by Edwin's anger to even bother worrying about Derek's reaction. She was having trouble processing the crimson of Edwin's cheeks, the sudden rage in his eyes as he glared at the guilty-looking couple in front of him.

"Edwin," she rationalized, shaking her head. "Derek's trying his best here, he really is."

Edwin snorted, and something behind Derek's hazel eyes flashed red then- a perfect epitome of rage, anger, and something so deep that even Casey could not describe it. It was something like acceptance, but of what, she honestly had no idea. Did he really believe that Edwin was right to criticize him here? She did not blame him in the slightest for not going to the police with this, and she could only hope that he would not let his brother's juvenile words affect him too badly.

"If Derek was really doing what was best for everyone, this sicko that you speak of would be behind bars, and not by Derek's own doing. If he really cared about what happens to you two, he'd suck it up, and he'd let the cops handle this themselves."

"It's my family, Ed," Derek seethed, through gritted teeth. "Casey's my girlfriend, and Rebecca's my daughter, and I have a right to protect them however the hell I want."

Edwin took a step towards the two of them, shaking his head as he narrowed his eyes at his older brother, obviously in disagreement with this statement.

"Casey's my stepsister, and Rebecca is my _niece_," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "She's my _only _niece, at that, and they're both pretty freakin' important to me, as well. So what- you don't think anyone else deserves a say in their well-being, other than you?"

"Stop it," Casey cautioned, eyeing Derek's red cheeks out of the corner of her eye. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head- see him calculating how many milliseconds it would take for him to reach across the coffee table between them, and smack his brother square in the jaw. Sure, she disagreed with everything that Edwin had said so far, but she didn't want a fight on her hands. Not only would they get into trouble with the hotel staff for creating a racket, but the two of them were much too close to let some silly little disagreement come between their brotherly bond.

She had hoped that her cautioning words would have helped her younger stepbrother come to his senses, but he merely laughed, folding his arms across his chest bravely as he shook his head, his stubborn side shining through now.

"I've gotten used to Derek's ego over the years," he pointed out, smirking angrily when Derek raised his head, eyes daring him to finish that sentence.

Surprisingly, after years upon years of bowing down to his older brother's every command, after wasted hours of what could only be called loyalty and bribery, he had grown a backbone. For what very well could be the first time in his twenty five years, Edwin Venturi finally stood up to his older brother.

"I stood by and let you boss me around when we were younger," Edwin said, a definite note of defiance in his voice now. "I let you pass in assignments that I slaved for hours on end over. Hell, I even kept my stupid mouth shut when you got the _praise_ for those assignments. I never _once_ mentioned how much you hogged the ball when we played hockey, or how it always had to be _you_ that came out on top of every stupid video game we played."

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Derek got out, his teeth grinding together to seemingly keep from spitting out what he _really_ wanted to say right now.

Edwin nodded his head, unfolding his arms so that he could place his hands casually into his jacket pockets, taking a couple of steps towards the two of them, until he was directly in front of them. He kept his gaze focused on Derek, but Derek kept his eyes fixed deliberately on the white carpet of their gorgeous hotel suite, unable, or unwilling, to look his little brother in the eye.

"My point is that you've always got to come out on top of everything," he said, and his tone hinted that he had been wanting to say this for year. "I could sit through all of your stupid, egotistical praise back when we were just teenagers, but for you to put Casey and Becca's life at risk like this... it's just..."

He trailed off, laughing bitterly as he shook his head, running a hand casually through his messy black hair.

"I didn't expect this even from you," he observed, shrugging a shoulder carelessly. "Are you really that obsessed with playing the hero that you can't suck it up and let someone else handle something for once? Are you honestly willing to risk their lives, just to get that kind of praise?"

Casey wanted to intervene; she really did. She wanted nothing more than to tell Edwin he was absolutely crazy, and clasp her arm tightly around Derek's wrist, to ensure that he would not jump up and attack the daring man standing in front of them.

But her eyes were trained steadily on Edwin's serious expression, and she said nothing as she waited for one of the men to respond, wishing with all of her heart that one of them would recongize how silly this argument was. Derek would never risk his family's life for a bit of recognition and pride, and Edwin was very foolish for even thinking up such a possibility.

And on the other side of the fence, Derek _should_ have taken his other options into consideration before he decided to fly solo, on this one. She could understand why he would not tell anyone else in their family, Edwin included. Family was the most important thing in the world to Derek Venturi, and he would do nothing that would put even more of their lives at risk. Telling Edwin would only throw in unneeded involvement, and even she knew that it would make for a very foolish move.

But involving the cops was something that Derek should've thought out from the beginning- something that should have seemed obvious from the start.

And apparantly, Edwin was thinking along the exact same lines as Casey, right now. He merely shook his head at his brother, a disgusted look on his face as he spoke up again, voice almost taunting.

"That's pathetic, D- even for you."

She should've known , with Derek's overreactive tendencies, that she should have had a stronger grip around his wrist. She should have expected that he would snap, at some point or another throughout this argument. But stupidly, she had trusted him to control himself, and before she could even comprehend what Edwin had said to them, Derek had pulled himself out of her loose grasp, and was tackling his younger brother to the hotel floor, their bodies landing with a heavy thud against the soft carpet.

For one, brief moment, she was unsure of who was pinned beneath who, and to be honest, she wasn't too sure she wanted to know. The thought of either Derek or Edwin getting hurt was something that she could not fathom, and she knew that it would be wrong to be hoping for either one of them to get the better half of this stupid scuffle.

"...don't know what you're...," there was a grunt, and suddenly Derek was on top of Edwin, hands connecting with whatever flesh he could find. "...ow, talking about! You're absolutely _delusional_."

Coming to her senses, Casey pushed herself up off of the couch, her eyes falling on Edwin's quickly reddening face. Whether Derek was aware of it or not, the positioning of his body over Edwin's chest was making it hard for the guy to breathe, and the last thing their family needed was another trip to the hospital, today.

"Derek, get _off_ of him!" Casey cried, coming to a stop right next to the pair, her eyes panicked and surprised. "_Stop_ it, you guys! Derek, he's your_ brother_!"

"Derek, get the _hell_ off of me!" Edwin choked out, his voice strained beneath his very outward struggle for oxygen. "Have you gone _nuts_?"

At his final words, he managed to unpin his hands from his sides, and press them both firmly against his brother's toned chest, shoving the larger man off of him very effectively. Derek was sent crashing into the nearest wall. The impact of his body shook the hard plaster of the walls, and he raised his arms over his head as a picture frame shook, and slid from its spot on the wall, the glass shattering over Derek's head, and falling into a predictable circle around his body.

Edwin immediately fell back against the floor, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as his chest heaved, struggling for some well-deserved oxygen. His face was blood red with the effort of it all, and his lip was already bleeding. Casey could make out the faintest signs of swelling already beginning across his arms and his cheeks, but in the end, it was her concern for Derek that won out. He was completely still, his head buried into his arms, which remained motionless against both of his knees.

"Derek," she choked out, falling onto her knees next to his motionless form. "Derek, are you okay?"

She placed one hand softly on his back, the other resting against his left arm, which was still propped against his knees. Her eyes scanned his silent form carefully, and the only reassurance she felt was that she could still feel the steady rising and falling of his upper body, against her palm on his back. He was still breathing, and she had the feeling that his silence was more of a concious decision, than anything else.

Edwin used his elbows to bring himself into a sitting position, his eyes falling immediately on Casey's obvious concerned features. He glanced quickly at the comforting hand she had placed on his back, before snorting, looking away with hurt and disbelief.

"Nice, Casey," he snapped, his voice bitter and resentful at the object of her concern. "Real nice. I'm okay, honest. Glad to see your priorities are in line- unlike some people I know."

He threw a pointed look at Derek then, but received no response from the one who had moments before been so sure of himself- so completely conident in every punch he threw. This seemed to give Edwin only a moment of hesitance, before he turned his gaze back to Casey, his eyes scornful at the betrayal she had just committed.

"When worse comes to worse, glad to see you've got his back," he spat out, using the armchair behind him to pull himself shakily to his feet. He quickly used both hands to smooth out the wrinkles in his jeans and jacket, before shaking his head, backing up towards the door with a disgusted look on his face.

"You two deserve each other, you really do."

"Edwin," Casey urged, her entire body tensing as she shook her head, tears in her eyes as she watched her stepbrother retreat towards the front door. "Edwin, come on. You know it's not like that!"

Her only reply was the slamming of their hotel room door, and the shaking of the walls that followed. If she strained her ears, she could almost make out the faint sound of his angry foosteps retreating down the long hallway, undoubtedly heading towards the elevator. She briefly wondered if he would report the fight to the main desk, or if he would have the decency to pay for the picture that he had accidently shattered.

Trivial things. She did not really care if they got kicked out of their suite, and she could care less if they had to shell out a hundred bucks for the frame. She would gladly pay it, if only Edwin would come back and give them a chance to explain.

She didn't want anything to end on bad terms. With her life already wavering on such uncertain terms, there was nothing she wanted to chance. With the way things were currently going, she could be dead tomorrow. Someone could quite easily barge through their door right now, point a gun at them, and kill them both. She could go to sleep tonight, and never live to see morning. She knew for darn sure that she did not want to die on bad terms with someone she loved.

And speaking of love...

"Derek," she said softly, fighting back her tears in favour of her concern for her boyfriend. "Baby, don't let him get to you. Don't listen to him, okay?"

His face remained buried into his arms, but she still received no response- something that inadvertantly haunted her.

"Der," she whispered, resting her chin against his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his softly. "Come on, Der. Please, talk to me."

"I have nothing to say."

His voice was tense, uncharacteristic, and she was even more concerned when she heard the anger behind it. Was he angry with her at all, for reasons unknown to her? She thought over everything that had just happened, searching for some sort of logic to back up this theory, but she was not surprised to find that she could think of nothing. She had not done anything that, to her knowledge, would warrant anger on his behalf. An even larger part of her understood that this anger was not directed towards Edwin, even if he was probably angry _with_ his brother.

No, the anger in his voice was much too deep to be the anger he felt towards his brother. This was a much deeper anger, something that she did not understand in the slightest. All she knew was that he was angry with himself, and for whatever reason, he was choosing not to share those reasons with her.

And she could not force it out of him. That, she knew. Talking about this would just make him hurt even more, and that was something that she did not want to force upon him.

And so she lay her head down on his shoulder, slumping down against the wall next to him, being careful to avoid the glass that surrounded him. He did not raise his head from his arms, nor did he make any sort of effort to communicate with her. He didn't even move to hold onto her- a very uncharacteristic move of him. But her arm remained draped across his shoulders, and she had a feeling that- right now- he was settling for minimal contact, with her. He could still feel her with him, and right now, it was probably all he could do to hold his head in his hands, and contain his anger to his own domain. She was afraid of what he might do if he were to leave this hotel room in this unconcious state of mind, and because of that, she was perfectly okay with sitting here for as long as it took him to calm down, even slightly.

And so they sat there- for how long, neither of them knew. It could have been hours, it could've been seconds. All around the building, people carried on with their business- unaware of the pain that was enclosed in the four walls of the fifteenth suite. Nobody knew that, only floors away from their own luxury, sat a couple- grieving, heartbroken, and most of all, devestated.

Because they knew. Despite how much they both wanted to deny it, and shove it away, they both fully understood that change was coming. Someday soon, they would be seperated from each other. Eventually, this sicko would win out, and they would each have to fight on their own for protection. Derek would no longer be the solid support system that he was, and Casey would no longer be able to reason with him, when he got too worked up. Their co-dependance on each other had grown to an unhealthy level now, but quite frankly, neither of them cared.

Maybe they should care. It was probably about time that they learned to protect themselves without the other.

Because change was coming. It was inevitable.

* * *

**There were definite hints in this chapter. **

**So I hope you have something to say after all of that. I was fairly uncomfortable with this chapter for some reason, so I'm hoping you guys can tell me whether you liked it or not. Like I've said, even a simple "love it" or "hate it" would be much appreciated. **

**And, as I mentioned before, check out the poll regarding this story on my profile! It will allow you to vote for who you think is behind the attacks!**

**Thanks!**


	10. Tension

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Ten: Tension**

Derek had hoped that their night together at the hotel would have done miracles, for the both of them. He had been in high hopes that with a perfect mixture of romance, humor, and comfort, Casey would've been able to go home feeling much better than she had when they had left London the day before. He had wanted to be the best boyfriend he could possibly be, in her hour of need.

But as they neared their hometown late the next morning, he knew that he had failed. If anything, Casey was worse off than she had been when they'd left. She had only spoken with him twice since they hit the highway, and it had only been to say that she didn't want anything at the Tim Horton's drive thru, and the second time had been to tell him that he had just missed the proper turnoff. He had merely cursed under his breath, and they had been forced to drive for another twenty minutes, before they found a decent place to turn around again.

Their night had not gotten any better, after their younger brother had left the hotel. Casey had sat with Derek for at least an hour, her arm draped loyally across his shoulders, her head resting gently against his own. He had remained completely silent for the duration of their solitude, speaking up only after he had pulled himself up off of the floor, and claimed that he was going to bed. It had been around ten o'clock at night by then, and one look at him would tell anyone that he was not tired in the slightest. He could've managed at least a few more hours, but he was making a concious choice to put this miserable day to an end. He hadn't even kissed Casey goodnight, something that she had not expected, after her very desperate attempts to comfort him. It wasn't like she wanted a whole lot of praise for her help, but a simple "thank you" would've been nice to hear. Hell, even a "goodnight" would've sufficed.

But his gaze had been fixed solely on the floor, his eyes dark as he shrugged his shoulders, and said;

"I'm going to bed."

That had been it. A simple statement in a gruff, hurt tone. He hadn't dared to even look her in the eye, though she suspected that this was out of embarassment, more than anything else. He had crawled into the huge, queen sized bed, and pulled the blankets over himself, never sparing a glance towards his girlfriend, who still sat, shocked and hurt on the white, carpeted floor. She had sat there for only another moment or two, before pushing herself up onto her feet, and climbing into the bed next to him. She hadn't bothered to try and speak to him. In fact, she had kept her back turned to him, as he had to her. It had hurt deeply, knowing that he was shutting her out like this, but she knew better than to make a fool of herself by pleading uselessly with him.

"Don't miss the exit this time," Casey said half-sarcastically, her head resting in her hand, elbow propped against the armrest. "It's coming up, you know."

Derek stiffened at the obvious tension in her voice, but ignored it as he locked his jaw into place, eyes narrowed angrily on the road before him.

"I'm not blind," he retorted, trying his best to sound cool and collected- as though her anger wasn't bothering him at all. "I can see the exit."

"Just like you could see it the first time around?"

Derek grimaced, but did not reply to her rhetorical statement. He wanted very badly to speak up then, and be equally as rude and insulting with her, but he knew that it would be wrong of him to do so. Casey had every right in the world to be angry with him, after the way he had treated her the night before. Hell, if he was Casey, he would be ignoring him right about now as well.

He hadn't exactly meant to be such a jerk to her. She had been comforting him in the best way that she knew how, and honestly, that was enough for him, it really was. It was a rare occasion when the tables were turned, and he was the one who needed the comforting. More commonly, it was Casey who needed ressurance and solace, rather than her strong-headed, emotionally-challenged boyfriend. He wasn't a complete robot. He had cried quite a few times in his twenty-eight years, but it was not to the extent that he could be called emotional. When he was extremely upset, he could find it in him to shed a couple of tears, but he wasn't the type to cry over spilled milk. He hated it when other people had to see him so vulnerable, and he especially hated it when Casey had to see him in his weakest hour- when he could barely move a muscle at the hand of his own pain and grief.

He had never wanted her to see him in the state that he had been in the night before. If anything, he had always wanted her to view him as the strong one- as the one who had himself all figured out, in every which way. He knew that she had no problem with seeing a weaker side of Derek. In fact, Casey McDonald was probably the only person in the world who had seen every side of Derek that there was to see. She had been with him through his darkest hours, and through the happiest moments of his life. There was not a side of him that she was unfamilar with, but if there was one side that she did not know as well as the rest, it would be this dark side of him- the side that could comprehend nothing but blame, pain, and utter devestation. There had been several times over the past week or so where he had not felt like himself at all- where he had felt like an entirely new person, created as a method of channeling this unimaginable pain elsewhere. This darker side of him made him so much more unappealing, and he knew that he came off as a jerk, when he let his darker side take free reign. It was when this side took control that he felt the weakest, that he felt completely and totally vunerable to those around him.

But Derek Venturi did not like coming off as a weak man, and freezing Casey out was the only way to counter that. If he froze her out, if he acted like he did not need the support she was trying her hardest to counter, then she would fall under the impression that maybe he wasn't as weak as he came off as. Sure, he wanted her love and support- more than anything. She could never understand just how much she had helped him, the night before. She would never know the effect that her whispered words of comfort had taken, last night. Just her very presence had been enough to remind him of who he was, of the fact that he wasn't a complete screw-up, so long as she still loved him.

She had kept him sane, last night. Casey had been the only reason that he hadn't broken down entirely, and there was no way he could ever thank her for that. He knew that she deserved so much better than what he was giving her right now, but this was the only way he knew how to deal with weakness- through ignorance. It was selfish, yes, and he resented himself for causing her this sort of pain, but it was the only way he knew how to deal. It was the only thing he felt confident enough to do.

But he didn't want to fight with her, and he figured that maybe he had frozen her out enough, now. He was getting back to his usual self, and the fight with Edwin was very slowly starting to push towards the back of his mind. He didn't want to be fighting with his younger brother, but he did have much more important things to focus on right now, like his family. He had acted like a jerk for long enough.

"Andrew texted my phone this morning," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving the road. "He had someone come in and replace the window this morning. So we can go back to the house tonight, I guess."

"Great," Casey muttered, her fingers threading through her hair as she kept her head held up, staring straightforward. "Another night with Captain Cranky. Just what I need."

Derek's jaw set firmly, and he found himself biting back a million and one crude retorts. He hated it when she spoke to him like that, but reminding himself that he deserved it helped him hold his tongue just a little more strongly.

"I'm didn't mean to act like that, okay?" he got out, his voice wavering slightly as he tried to keep his cool. "I had alot on my mind last night, and I'd really appreciate it if you could just... I dunno, look past that, and

accept my apology- pretend last night never happened?"

Casey raised her brow at him, her stare surprised, and even moreso- something he could not bear to handle right now- angry.

"I'm sorry, was that supposed to be an _apology_?" she questioned, sounding shocked. When his eyes narrowed against the black pavement of the road ahead, she laughed bitterly, shaking her head.

"Usually, apologies consist of something more than lame-ass avoidance of the words '_I'm sorry_'."

He cringed, tightening the palms of his hands around the cool, smooth steering wheel. It was taking damn near all of his effort not to snap, and take every last bit of his anger out on her. He had so much to be angry for right now- Andrew, for not cautioning him of his brother's upcoming visit, Edwin- for making such ridiculous accusations of him, himself- for acting like such an idiot, and Casey, for seeing right through every facade, every mask that he put up to pretend like this was all okay.

"You know I'm not good with apologizing," he tried to tell her, but his only response was a sarcastic snort, and a bitter;

"Clearly."

Frowning, he shook his head, tilting his head towards her ever so slightly. His eyes remained fixed on the road as they made the turnoff into London, but almost every last bit of his attention was focused on the girl in the seat next to him. He could feel the back of his throat swelling with an urge to let loose and scream- to take every last bit of his unchanneled anger out on his nearest target- her.

But his love for her overpowered that, and he knew that yelling at her would only make him feel twenty times worse later. Casey had not done anything to cause him grief, thus far. In fact, she was probably the only thing keeping him going, at times. Who was he to be angry with her, after she had tried her hardest to make him feel better?

So, forcing back every last bit of his hesitation, and swallowing back his overgrown pride, he let out a deep breath, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he got out, the delivery choppy and forced. "I've been a jerk to you since the whole thing with Edwin last night, and I shouldn't have frozen you out. You... you didn't do anything wrong."

Casey was watching him uncertainly, as though she could not decide whether or not his words were genuine, or a botched attempt at getting her back on his good side. He didn't once turn his gaze to meet hers, but his attention was trained very carefully on her, monitoring her every movement from the corner of his eye. He was waiting for some sort of sign- anything that would tell him if he was forgiven or not.

But she gave him no such indication, so he took in a deep breath, preparing himself to try twenty times harder than he already was.

"I know you think I'm the world's biggest jerk right now, and... and maybe you're right, but you need to understand what I'm going through."

He had half expected her to question this, and an even larger part of him had fully expected her to turn away from him completely, and ignore his presence for the remainder of their car ride back to their house. It would only have taken ten minutes for them to get home, where they'd be forced to put on fake smiles for Andrew and Rebecca, anyway. Ten minutes of her anger, he could've handled.

What came next, he could not handle at all.

"You want me to understand what _you're_ going through?" she got out, her voice bitter and angry- filled with pent up frustration and rage. He gulped nervously, fully aware that Casey's built up anger could result in days of them not talking, when she got angry enough. Usually, he could force a grin and suck it up, but with everything that was going on right now, he did not want to chance their lines of communication being damaged in the slightest.

"How about what _I'm _going through, huh?" she choked out, laughing coldly. "My life is in the exact same mess as yours is right now, Derek. We both know that all of our lives are at risk, and it's freaking me out- going through everyday not knowing if we'll all be there, at the end of it."

She paused, as though wanting to give him a chance to make an input into the conversation, but when he kept his mouth firmly closed, she continued.

"Maybe you haven't realized this yet, but I was _attacked_ yesterday, Derek," she emphasized, leaning towards him now, both hands placed carefully on each leg in front of her. If she took any notice of the discomfort in Derek's eyes at her last statement, she did not react to it. Only moments later, she was rambling on again.

"Someone broke into our house, and they hurt me. The whole time I was waiting for you to get home was absolute _torture_ for me, Derek. Andrew kept telling me to relax, and that it would all be okay, but I didn't tell him that it was _you_ I was worried about, the whole time."

Derek's brow furrowed then, and he chanced a glance at her blazing red cheeks, unable to hide his curiousity.

"Me?" he questioned, unsure of where she was going with this. "Why would you be worried about me?"

She opened her mouth, and for a brief moment, nothing came out. Her eyes were trained steadily on his face still, and he knew that she had understood the question perfectly. To be honest, he could even tell that she knew her answer already- that this moment of hesitance had nothing to do with planning out her response.

No, the look in her eyes was the result of uncertainty, for it was clear that she had no idea how to tell him what was on her mind.

Taking his chances, he unlocked one of his hands from the steering wheel, and reached across both of their seats towards her hands. Her eyes followed his hand cautiously, and despite the tension between them, he placed his hand carefully over hers against his knee, slipping his fingers into hers gently. He gave it a moment, and when she did not pull away, he squeezed her hand gently, nodding to show her that it was okay.

"Go ahead," he whispered, well aware of the tension in his voice. "You can tell me anything."

She did not look convinced in the slightest, and honestly, he knew that she still had definite reservations about revealing her thoughts to him.

Nonetheless, she managed to fight back all of her hesitance, and a moment later, she spoke up.

"I was scared that they'd gotten you too," she murmered, and he could hear the fear in her voice, even now. "Even when that guy was in the basement, when I was the one getting attacked, all I could think of was that I... I hoped they hadn't gotten to you at the same time. I didn't want anyone to hurt you."

He felt his heart clench at the obvious pain in her voice, and at the way her lower lip stuck out now, quivering dangerously. He knew this look well, and he knew without a doubt that she was fighting back tears. While the high school version of Derek may have avoided her tearstorm out of pure selfishness, this new, older and mature Derek avoided her tears for a different reason entirely. These days, he was more worried about seeing her upset than he was about avoiding tears. Sure, he still hated dealing with emotions, but seeing her upset pulled at a whole different heartstring altogether.

"Relax, Case," he urged, not wanting her to get too worked up. "I'm okay- you know that now. And besides, you should only be worrying about Rebecca, and yourself. Never waste your time worrying about me, okay?"

Casey laughed gently, the tears still shimmering in her eyes as she gave him a doubtful look, shaking her head.

"Would you listen to me, if I gave you advice like that?"

Derek hesitated, thinking that one over. If Casey were to tell him to only worry about himself and their daughter, would he take her advice, or would he disobey?

Even an idiot could figure out the answer to that one. Even if Derek wasn't as stubborn as he was, he would never stop worrying about Casey. She had been his main priority for far too long to ever try and erase such an intense desire for protection.

"Okay, so maybe I wouldn't listen to you, if you told me something like that," he agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "But it's different. You and Rebecca are in way more danger than I am right now, and it's only right for me to worry about you. So far, all of this guy's actions have been revolved around you two, never me."

"But they could hurt you," she pointed out, as though she had not heard a word he had just said. "And when that guy broke through the window, all I could think about was that I hoped there was only one person behind all of this. If they had gotten to you or Rebecca..."

"They won't," he assured her, and the uncertainty in his own voice alarmed him. Swallowing back his hesitance, he continued. "Case, I promise you that I'll do my very best to protect you two, _and_ myself, okay? But you two are definitely going to be my main priority; you always will."

Her lower lip still quivered, and he shook his head, his eyes darting back and forth rapidly between the road, and her teary eyes. He was unsure of where he should be focusing his attention right now. While he knew the honest answer to that would be the road, he could not help but want to focus more on Casey, and erasing her pain. It had been his job for much too long now.

"Don't cry," he begged of her, shaking his head desperately in her general direction. "Come on, Casey; please don't-"

But his words proved to be pointless. Before he could even finish his sentence, he heard her let out one tiny, pathetic sob, and before he knew what was happening, she was crying. And while Derek made no concious effort to do so, he had suddenly swerved off to the right, letting the car come to a sloppy rest near the edge of a random curb. He did not say a word as he leaned across the seats, releasing her hand so that he could pull her very gently into his arms. She buried her face into his shoulder as he held her, and he could feel her salty tears staining his grey long-sleeve shirt- not like he cared.

"I know you're upset," he murmered, stroking her hair gently as he held her crying form against his shoulder. "Come on, Casey. I never meant to be such a jerk to you."

"But you were," she choked out, her cheeks the deepest shade of red as she lifted her face from his shoulder, sniffing back another round of tears. The pain in her eyes was completely undeniable, and it killed him to know that he was the cause of that pain. He had frozen her out for what was supposed to be a romantic evening, and for what? What had Casey really done that was that horrible?

"I was only trying to help you," she pointed out, managing to keep the heaviest of her tears at bay, so that she could speak. "You're always taking care of me- you're always the strong one. Edwin probably hates me now, because I came to your help before I would even spare a glance at him."

Despite his guilt, Derek's eyes darkened then, and he shook his head, glaring straight forwards.

"Who gives a damn what Edwin thinks?" he questioned, and even he was surprised by the bitterness in his voice. He had been unaware that his resentment towards his brother was so strong, until he heard the resolved distaste in his own voice.

Casey obviously did not share the same resentment, however, because upon her boyfriend's words, she pulled back slightly, shaking her head at him with obvious surprise and disgust.

"Edwin's your little brother, Derek," she reminded him, and he snorted, rolling his eyes at her statement.

"No really?" he chided, unable to help the sarcastic edge to his voice. "I had no idea. Thanks for filling me in, Casey."

She raised a brow at his saucy remark, but chose not to comment on it as she shook her head, disapproval written all over her tear-streaked face. She was managing to hold back her tears quite well, for the time being.

"My point is that there's alot of people in this world, but you'll only ever have one brother."

Derek shrugged a shoulder, his eyes fixed darkly on the dashboard, seemingly uncaring.

"My mother's still young," he decided randomly, his voice unconcerned. "There's still time for her to pop out another one. You never know."

Casey stared at him with distaste, and he knew immediately that he had chosen the wrong words. While Derek was perfectly comfortable with ignoring this situation, and making clever wisecracks to ease some of the tension between them, it was obvious that his girlfriend was not. She wanted to work things out, and by the look on her face, this was not her preferred way of going about such a thing.

"That's really immature, Derek, and I have to believe that even you know that," she said, sounding slightly, if not pointlessly, hopeful. When she received no response, she continued.

"The point is, Ed's grown to be my brother over the years too," she reminded him, shrugging her shoulders. "When my mother remarried, I got two stepbrothers, and one stepsister. And through time, those bonds have just finalized. Edwin is just as much my brother as he is yours, and Marti will always be my little sister."

"Are you implying that I'm your brother too, Casey?" he asked, his stomach tightening at the sickening thought. "Because after all these years, I'd like to think you'd dropped that silly little title of stepbrother, when you think of me."

Casey shook her head, a hint of anger in her eyes as she pulled back from him entirely, wiping her tears away on the backs of her hands. Derek's eyes watched her carefully, and he cringed as he watched her try to compose herself all alone. He should've been the one helping her dry those tears. They shouldn't be fighting right now. How did he manage to make even the most opportune of moments into a verbal fight, with Casey?

"You're not my brother, I know that," she got out, and he was relieved at the absolute honesty in her voice. "But just because you never grew into the brotherly role, doesn't mean Ed never, okay? I care about him just as much as I care about my own sister, and to know that he's mad at me... to know that he thinks I betrayed him..."

"You didn't betray him," Derek defended, thrown by his girlfriend's obvious concern for his own brother. "I'm your boyfriend, Casey, and he's just your stepbrother. Who does he think you'd go to, when you were forced to choose? Because I'd really hope that the obvious choice here would be me."

Casey watched him for a moment, her eyes scanning his features deliberately, as though she were searching for some sort of hint or clue in his eyes. He was not sure what she hoped to find behind his hazel orbs, but after a moment, she was shaking her head with disgust, and turning towards the passenger's door, her hand falling easily on the door handle.

Before he could stop her, she had pushed the door open, and she was clambering out of the vehicle, her feet falling easily onto the white cement of the sidewalk beneath her feet.

Derek's body tensed, and he leaned across the seat to look up at her, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"Care to tell me what you think you're doing?" he questioned, already knowing the answer. "I hope you don't think I'm letting you walk home alone, or something."

Casey folded her arms across her chest, and she pouted as she ignored him, and began walking hastily down the sidewalk in the general direction of their house. He hesitated for a moment, glancing down the long, narrow road before them. Any other day, he probably wouldn't put up much fight about her walking the remaining five minutes to their house. It was really a short walk- he could finish the drive in less than two minutes.

But under current circumstances, with a stalker after them already, he definitely wasn't comfortable with leaving her to walk home alone like that- vulnerable, and unprotected. There was no chance at all that she was going to be allowed to walk unattended, unaccompanied.

Putting the car in drive, he edged along the sidewalk very slowly, the car barely moving as he glanced out her open window, still leaned halfway across her seat.

"Come on, Casey," he called out, as she stormed angrily down the sidewalk, eyes narrowed pointedly at some point in the distance. "Just get in the car. You know just as well as I do that you can't walk home alone right now. You're crazier than I thought, if you think I'd let you do something like that."

"Leave me alone," she muttered, her voice low under the gentle breeze that floated past her, ruffling gently through her soft, brown hair. "You're not the boss of me, Derek. If I'm not allowed to comfort you, then you're not allowed to comfort me. We're equals, Derek. And I'm not letting you freeze me out just because you're embarassed to be weaker than me, for once."

"You know that's not what this is about," he lied, already knowing that she would not believe him in the slightest. Indeed, she shot him the most disbelieving of looks, her eyes filled with distaste, and anger.

Rolling his eyes, he glanced ahead of him, making sure that there were no parked vehicles along the stretch of curb that he was currently crawling slowly along. When he saw that the coast was clear, he turned back to Casey, defeat written across his handsome features.

"Okay, so maybe it was sort of about that, but I'm not used to being the one who needs comfort," he reminded her, shrugging one shoulder absent-mindedly. "I'm used to protecting _you_, not the other way around."

Casey snorted, raising an eyebrow carelessly as she shrugged one shoulder, obviously not really caring about whatever Derek had to say to her.

"Sorry, I didn't know there were rules when it came to caring about you," she bit out, and he could've slapped himself for his poor choice of words. "Next time you're upset, I'll be sure to consult with you first, before I try and make you feel better. I didn't realize loving you had limits, these days."

He stopped the car then, his face screwing up into a painful cringe, every ounce of his willpower disappearing instantly.

He could not fight with her anymore. If this was what she would think of him- if she would believe that there were limits to how much she could love him, then it was most definitely not worth it. Sure, he loved coming off as the strong one in these sorts of situations. Heck, he could even admit that playing the role of the weak made him feel insecure- out of character, even. He had not been designed for such open display of weakness and vulnerability, but when it came down to it, Casey's feelings mattered more than his precious ego. He could not deny her the right to comfort him, if doing so made her feel like she was doing her job, as his girlfriend.

"Casey," he said softly, and while his voice had come out barely over a whisper, she had heard him. She stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes falling shut as the gentle breeze blew her long brown hair behind her shoulders. Her face was lined with traces of pain, and she kept her eyes closed as she spoke up, her voice a gentle, breathy whisper.

"What?" she asked, as though she were afraid of what he would say to her next.

He shook his head, and while he knew her eyes were closed, he gave a lazy nod towards the passenger's seat, his gaze pleading.

"Get back in the car, please," he asked of her, desperation shining through in his tone. When she still appeared hesitant, he rushed on, not caring if he sounded desperate, at this point.

"You can be angry with me all you want when we get home, but just... let me drive you home. Give me the peace of mind of knowing that you're going to get home safely."

She stood dead in her tracks, opening her eyes as she turned her gaze towards him, obviously undecided. Her gaze faltered from his, and she examined the passenger's seat, as though she could not decide whether or not getting into the car was worth the small victory that Derek would earn, should she give in.

But one look at the expression on Derek's face told her that this had nothing to do with victory, or defeat. Ultimately, he was trying to keep her safe, and while she wanted to get as far away from him as possible, she knew that risking her own safety just to get back at Derek was not worth it in the slightest. Like he'd said, she could ignore him all she wanted when they got home- something that she fully planned on carrying through with, but right now, she'd just have to suck it up, and make sure that they both got home safely to their daughter.

Fighting back her pride, she gave a quick nod in his direction, and took three steps backwards, pulling the red car door open with ease. He leaned back into his own seat, his eyes following her carefully as she pulled her seatbelt across her chest, buckling herself safely into place. When she was safely strapped in, she turned her gaze to his, raising an eyebrow.

"Happy now?"

He did not reply to her sarcastic statement. Instead, he gave a sigh of absolute relief, and closed his hand over the gearshift, slipping the car easily into drive. He finally pulled away from the curb, and as they coasted down the main road towards the place they called home, he could not help but feel relieved. Despite Casey's anger, she still had the decency to listen to him, and fall through on his orders. She still seemed to understand that what he said was truly for her own good, and so long as she knew that, he would have peace of mind. So long as she was not putting her own safety in danger, he would be perfectly fine.

- - - -

Derek had figured that their fight would fizzle out by at least dinnertime. On any normal occasion, they would only argue until one of them snapped, and wound up talking to the other. He had been betting on the fact that she would eventually come and try to sort things out with him, but by eight o'clock that night, he was surprised to find that she still hadn't spoken a word to him, since they got home. She'd put on a cheery smile for their daughter's sake, and she had even thought to make him dinner as well, when she was cooking for Rebecca.

But everytime he so much as tried to catch her eye, she'd scowl, and look away stubbornly.

It was times like these that he really hated that stubborn side of her.

He was using the solitude of her anger to catch up on whatever work he had missed, the day before. When he'd gone into the small office that Andrew had long ago set up for him on the second floor of the Venturi home, he hadn't been surprised to see his answering machine's screen flashing red, signalling that he had missed messages. When he had checked them, it had been even less surprising to find that alot of them had been from Matthew Leary. Despite the guy's calm atittude, Derek had sensed that it was very important to this guy that his girlfriend's ex be caught. The four messages he had gotten, asking Derek to call him as soon as possible, only proved even more of a point.

So at around ten after eight, he had finally gotten in touch with the guy again, feeling bad that he had neglected the poor guy's case, over the past day or so.

"I'm sorry I didn't return your calls quicker," he said professionally, twirling a pen between two of his fingers. "I was out of town working on... um, another case."

This wasn't a total lie. Casey's situation did count as a very important case, and going to Toronto _had_ been a direct result of that case. Matthew didn't need to know that it had been his girlfriend's case, right?

"It's okay, really," the man said, and Derek was relieved to hear he sounded honest. "I'm just... well, a bit on edge, I guess you could call it. Marcus, her ex... he's been calling her cellphone non-stop since we last spoke. He's making threats, now."

Derek's body tensed, and he dropped the pen he was holding onto the desk, turning his body around so that he was sitting up straight in his computer chair. He quickly set the phone to record the call, and grabbed a sheet of paper out of the cabinet next to his chair, pen already posed atop the empty lines.

"Tell me everything," he said, determined.

On the other line, Matthew drew in a deep breath, before speaking up, his voice slightly uneven.

"Okay, well he called her the other day, a couple of hours after I got off the phone with you, and he told her that she needs to start watching her back. He said that he was in no mood to put up with her bullshit anymore, and that he was through with trying to win her back."

Derek wrote all of this down furiously, trying his very best to concentrate on the words he was jotting down. He usually had no problem with focusing on such important phone calls as this, but there was something in Matthew's words that got him thinking. His girlfriend, Meena, was being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, who claimed that he was "sick of trying to win her back". She had been told to "watch her back", just like Derek had been warned to watch Casey's back. Could those similarities mean anything, anything at all?

He shook himself out of his trance, his eyebrows furrowing together involuntarily. He was just overexamining things. The very thought of his case, and Matthew's case being somehow linked together, was absolutely ridiculous. He should know better by now than to link together cases with such little proof.

"Her computer got hacked last nights," Matthew went on, and this time, Derek's pen literally went through the paper, he pressed that hard. His hand clenched fearfully around the writing tool, and he had to force himself to jot down this latest development. Fear was etched dominantly into his features now, and he swallowed hard, forcing himself to speak.

"Did you... did you link it back to him?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly. "What sort of files did he access?"

"We never officially linked it to him, but who else could it be?" Matthew asked, and Derek's eyes closed as he gulped, suddenly fearful. "He got access to her schedule, her contacts, pretty much everything. We've been trying to change around her schedule a bit, just to keep them guessing, but..."

There was a pause, at which Derek could only assume his client had shrugged, as though he could not understand this any better than Derek understood his own situation, right now.

"You never know, with these sorts of people," he said, and Derek merely sighed, placing his pen down against his desk as he pressed one hand against his temple, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Alright Matthew, I need a day or so to think all of this over, and come up with some sort of "setup", as you called it. Something that can help us catch this guy."

There was silence for a moment, followed by a very uneasy;

"Will you call me back tomorrow?"

Derek bit his lip gently, thinking that one over carefully in his mind. He had been on Matthew's case for several days, and he still hadn't met up with the guy. His normal procedure was to meet up with a client almost immediately after their intial phone call, but with everything else that was going on, he hadn't had a chance to meet with Matthew face to face, just yet.

And with Andrew working at his house now, he'd have someone here with Casey and Rebecca all day long. There would be tighter rules and guidelines this time, but he knew that he could trust Casey and his daughter to his best friend's care.

With this knowledge secured in his mind, he drew in a deep breath, almost fully confident in his next words.

"I'll tell you what," he decided, hoping that he didn't sound too reluctant. "How about we meet up tomorrow afternoon, around two?"

There was no hesitance in Matthew's voice as he spoke up, sounding a little more than eager.

"Where do you want to meet?" he questioned, confirming that he wanted to go ahead with the meeting. "Did you want to do lunch, or something?"

Derek raised an eyebrow at the man's eagerness, but quickly nodded to himself, jotting down the time and date of his upcoming meeting with Matthew on the sheet of paper in front of him.

"Lunch sounds good," he said, and after discussing the location with Matthew, he hung up the phone, placing his head in his hands as he tried to regulate his breathing. There was just so much going on in his personal life that he wasn't too sure he could deal with his home life, and his work life at the same time. The two were becoming so increasingly similar, that he was having trouble finding an unbiased balance between them.

"Daddy?"

At the sound of his daughter's voice in the doorway, Derek lifted his head from his hands, his eyes wandering willingly to where the little girl stood, her hands tucked neatly behind her back as she waited for permission to enter the office. She was allowed in any other room of the house, but when it came to the office of a private investigator... well, there were things she probably didn't need to see, hidden in this room. They did not bar her from the room to be cruel; it was for her own good.

But while he was in the room, he knew that it would be okay for her to enter. She wasn't going to find anything bad with him there watching over her.

So he nodded at the little girl, a forced half-smile on his face as he lifted his elbows away from his knees, allowing Rebecca to climb up onto her father's lap. She was smiling as he wrapped his arms around her, and he forced himself to shove away any sign of tension in his voice. He didn't want her knowing that something was wrong.

"How was your night at Andrew's?" he asked her, for he had not really spoken much with her when him and Casey had arrived home. "Did you have fun?"

Rebecca nodded, her gorgeous smile never fading. Her eyes gleamed with something like excitement, and she spoke up, her voice genuinely cheery- something that he envied. How wonderful it must be, to be so young and uncorrupted, to not have a care in the world outside of what colour crayon you wanted to use to color a picture.

"Me and Uncle Andrew played Hide 'n Go seek!" she exclaimed, as though this were the most exciting event of her entire life. "I kept finding Uncle Drew, and he said it's 'cause he's too big to fit in any of the good places to hide. But really, I think he's just bad at finding good hiding spots."

Derek chuckled, nodding his head in agreement with her statement.

"Yeah, he's not the best at those sorts of games," he recalled, smirking slightly. "Remember when we beat him at Checkers?"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow at her father, leaning away slightly as she fixed him with a doubtful look.

"Daddy, _we _never beat Andrew at checkers," she reminded him, disapproval clear in her tone. "_I _beat him at checkers. You sat there and ate all of the chips, and then Mommy yelled at you for it."

Derek scowled, shaking his head to inidicate that she was wrong on this.

"Nuh uh," he argued, well aware of the fact he sounded like a preschooler. "I was all over that game, and you know it."

Becca frowned, her brows creasing together as she studied her father with disapproval written all over her features. At first glance, Derek felt goosebumps rise on his arms, and he was forced to do a double take as he realized just how much she looked like Casey, when she gave him that sort of look. Clearly, Rebecca had her mother's "you're an idiot" look downpat.

Just great. Now he'd have to dodge _two _evil stares, when he was caught in a very obvious lie. Dealing with Casey was rough enough without having Rebecca mimicking her every action.

And speaking of Casey...

"What's your Mommy doing?" Derek asked, realizing that he hadn't heard a sound from Casey for a few hours now. "Is she gone on another one of her cleaning spurts?"

It wouldn't have surprised him if she had. When Casey was angry with Derek, she usually did one of two things. First, she would _show_ him that she was upset with him- through colourful words and harsh volumes. When she got sick of yelling, she'd usually move onto something that could easily distract her, and keep her in Derek-free zone for hours on end. She knew that Derek would never be caught dead cleaning the house, and because of that, she knew that it was always safe to adopt cleaning as her evening chore.

But he was surprised when Becca immediately shook her head, signalling that his intial assumption had been wrong. Her smile disappeared, and her eyes filled with sympathy as she gave a nod towards the doorway, indicating the general direction of her mother.

"She's lying down," Rebecca explained calmly, shrugging one shoulder. "I think she caught my bug."

Derek's brow furrowed together, and he shook his head, not understanding what Rebecca was trying to tell him.

"She caught _what_, sorry?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes at her father's lack of knowledge, at which Derek merely blushed. Having a mini-Casey as a daughter could be frustrating, at times. It was never very confidence building to feel like an idiot compared to your five year old daughter. But Rebecca was wise beyond her years, and it was very obvious that she had inherited much of her mother's knack for quick learning, and academic acceleration.

"My bug," she repeated, shaking her head at him stubbornly. "Y'know, when I threw up the pizza lunchable, and the toast I had for breakfast, and-"

Derek's eyes squeezed tight at the memory, and he held up a cautioning hand as his stomach turned unpleasantly, an ever-present reminder of his extremely weak stomach.

"I get it," he murmered, before a light went off in his head, and he opened his eyes rapidly, frowning. Becca was still watching him, a small hint of victory in her eyes as she realized she had grossed out her father, but Derek ignored her outward display of victory as he held her at an arm's length, shaking his head.

"Are you telling me your mother's sick?" he asked, and when Rebecca merely nodded, he paled, his stomach churning for the second time in less than a minute.

Before he could process what was happening, he had grasped both of his daughter's arms firmly in his grasp, swinging her gently out of his lap. He only let go of her when both feet were planted safely on the ground, and he reached out, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and nodding towards the door.

"You go on downstairs and play with some of your toys, okay?" he asked of her, his eyes too serious to deny. "Uncle Andrew is still down there, right?"

A simple nod indicated that he was, and with this knowledge safely in mind, Derek forced a gentle smile, ruffling her hair playfully.

"You just make sure you don't leave his sight, alright?"

Becca looked hesitant, and Derek was well aware that she had picked up on the fact that something was up- something wasn't right. She had always been a very intuitive girl, and it was obvious that this was no different. The look that she was giving her father was too concerned, too anxious to be one of pure innocence. Sure, she would never guess what was really going on, but she was smart enough to detect the concern in her father's eyes, and in the way her father ordered her to stick close to Andrew.

But she must have realized that this was something much beyond her maturity level, for she simply nodded, a very small smile appearing on her lips as she backed up towards his office door, waving her tiny hand at her father.

"Okay, Daddy," she agreed, sounding carefree and innocent once more.

Derek smiled softly at her, waving in return.

"Love you, baby girl."

With that, she had turned and skipped off down the hall, presumeably towards the staircase that would lead her to the living room, where Andrew would undoubtedly be watching television. He would've alerted Derek if he had left the house, so Derek felt fully confident in letting his daughter go downstairs alone.

Nonetheless, he waited until her footsteps had finished fading down the stairs, and he waited even longer, until he heard the unmistakeable sound of his daughter giggling, and the deep tone of Andrew's voice, talking with his daughter on the floor below.

His body visibly relaxed, and he let out a breath that he had not been aware of holding. Rebecca was safe with Andrew now, and he'd given his workload a good hour or two of his undivided attention. He had put off finishing his argument with Casey for as long as he could allow. He probably would've gone on downstairs and watched some hockey with Andrew, if he had not been told that she was sick. Giving her a night to sleep on things would probably be what was best in any normal argument, but he was never one to take her health lightly. If she was sick, he was going to attend to her, no matter how minor the damage was.

Moments later, he found himself outside their bedroom door, which she had pushed closed, probably to keep everyone else out. He swallowed hard as he eyed the door suspiciously, a large part of him not wanting to enter the room at all. There was no way of knowing just how angry Casey would be with him, when he entered the room, and he really didn't have it in him to go through another full-fledged argument with her, tonight. The last thing he needed was to make her cry for the second time that day. That darker side of him, the one that had been a total jerk to her earlier, it was ebbing away ever so slightly, but not to the point that it had disappeared entirely. He had a feeling that all it would take was a few rage-fueled words to get him worked up, again.

But he knew that he had to check on her, and anger or no anger, it was his job to take care of her.

So, forcing back every ounce of hesitation coursing through his body, he drew in a deep breath, and made his way into their bedroom. He paused with his hand on the doorknob, peering around the side of the door hesitantly, as though afraid of what he might find on the other side.

His eyes instantly fell on Casey, who was sitting back onto him on the edge of their bed. She had her own white and blue pillow clutched tightly against her chest, and her face was buried against the top of it as she stared down at the floor. He could not see her expression from here, but judging by the overall insecure look that overshadowed her, he sensed that her eyes would be darkened with what could only be fear, right now.

Opening the door a little wider, he took a step inside, biting his lip gently as he cleared his throat, placing both hands in his pockets.

"Uh, Casey?"

His voice was quiet- barely over a whisper, but it was obvious that she had heard him. A moment later, she had glanced over her shoulder, her eyes falling immediately upon her boyfriend's still form. He felt panic sweep through him as he caught sight of her slightly reddened eyes, and he could see where her make-up had smeared beneath her eyes, from crying. It took every ounce of his willpower to not run away, or rush across the room to comfort her. He knew that they were still technically in a fight, and he didn't want to do anything that would upset her even more, right now. Avoiding her tears would just lead to her calling him an insensitive jerk, and comforting her while she was still so angry with him... well, he knew that it would be best to keep some physical distance between them, for the time being.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, taking a final step into the bedroom, and kicking the door shut gently behind him with one foot. "Rebecca told me you were sick."

She turned her back on him then, hugging the pillow tighter to her, and he could not help but tense then, worried by her reaction.

"Case," he said, his voice wavering as he tied his hardest not to let his anxiety shine through. "Babe, I need to know that you're okay."

"I'm fine, Derek," she snapped, her voice bitter and hard. He cringed, something that was unknown to her as she shook her head, keeping her back turned to him.

"Honestly, I'm okay. Now go on back to ignoring me, like you have been the rest of the night."

Derek frowned then, a slight sliver of anger shuddering through his body. Where did she get off calling _him_ ignorant? She hadn't so much as looked at him since they'd walked through the front door hours ago.

"That's not fair, Casey," he got out, shaking his head as he took a couple of steps across the room, stopping when he was directly in front of her. In the dim lighting of the room, he could make out the tear stains on her cheeks, souvenirs of her own pain. He could not bear to watch her cry, so he focused his gaze instead at the top of her head, for she would not look him directly in the eye.

"You're ignoring me just as much as I'm ignoring you," he reminded her, trying his best not to break under the sight of her tears. "Look, can't we just forget about this stupid argument, and skip to the part where I get to kiss you?"

She looked up at him then, her gaze slightly offended as she shook her head, squinting at him angrily.

"You honestly think you can fix this all with a kiss?" she questioned, as though it were the most ridiculous theory in the world.

Derek cringed then, sensing that he had said the wrong thing. Maybe it would have worked out better for him if he had just kept his mouth closed altogether. Often, his brain and mouth did not coordinate the right choice of words, and with Casey, the consequences of this malfunction were usually brutal.

"Honestly, Derek! Do you think you're God's gift to women, or something? Just because you're a good kisser, doesn't mean it'll make me want to make up with you."

Derek inwardly cursed, his lips setting in a firm line of disappointment. Darnit. There went his last good hope.

"So what do you want me to do, Casey?" he asked her, unsure of how to get back in her good graces. "Just what is it that would make you happy? Blood? Would you like me to walk on water for you- defy gravity?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, but his anger got the better of him as he went on, laughing bitterly.

"No really, tell me what it is you want from me, because I'm obviously too _dense_ to know what it is that would make Princess Casey happy."

The pillow she had been holding dropped to the floor then, and a chill ran through his body as she shot up onto her feet, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Do you want to know what would make me happy, Derek?" she cried, her voice shrill with anger, frustration, and obvious hurt. "It would make me _beyond_ happy, if for _once in your life _you could be just a little more observant to what other people are going through."

Derek laughed at this, for the irony of it all was just too funny. She was honestly calling him, Derek Venturi- a private investigator- unobservant. That was funny, really. His entire career revolved around him being observant, and focusing on tiny details- the ones that anyone else might have skimmed over, on the first initial glance.

"You're being ridiculous," he said, shaking his head as his eyes narrowed at her, confused. "My entire career requires me to be observant, in case you haven't noticed. I think it's a little more than inaccurate to call _me _unobservant, don't you?"

Casey took a step towards him, her chest pressed against his as her eyes flashed with anger, chest heaving pointedly against his own. His eyes travelled down to meet with hers, and he swallowed nervously as he held his ground, trying to act as though her anger did not concern him in the slightest.

"There's more to life than your precious _career_, Derek," she reminded him, her voice tense and shaky, now. "You manage to find a pretty decent balance most of the time, but sometimes I think you left your common sense in the office, when you come home."

Derek snorted at this statement, before raising a hand in front of him, putting a slight distance between their bodies- probably the best idea, in their current anger. He placed one hand over a raised finger, creating a makeshift list to tick off on his fingers.

"My little brother is being the world's biggest snob, I've got more work than I can even _handle_ right now, there's an unknown number of criminals out to get our family, and Casey's being an overreactive princess."

He paused, before smirking very smugly, raising a brow at her.

"Yep, everything's in it's natural order."

Casey reached up then, her hands pushing against his chest as she backed him up towards the wall, shoving agressively. He felt his back connect with the wall roughly, and before he had a chance to question her actions, she was in his face, pointing a finger very threateningly at him. He had to admit that- by first appearance, Casey didn't look very threatening. She was much smaller than him, and definitely a whole lot shorter. Even when she was angry, she looked like the cutest thing on earth, to him. Her cheeks were blood red with anger, and her eyes flashed with something intuitive- what he knew to be anger.

No, she didn't look all that threatening at first glance. But if you knew Casey like Derek did, you'd know not to take her appearance for granted. She may look cute and sweet, but she was more like a tornado- one that could rip you limb from limb, if you weren't careful enough.

"Listen to me," she said, her voice quiter now, but filled with twice as much rage as before. "To start with, the fight with your brother could have been prevented, if you'd both tried a little harder. Yeah, I understand that he said some harsh things to you, and maybe he should've stated his opinion more lightly, but you _didn't _have to hit him. You could've solved things without violence."

"I'm really glad you're anti-violence," he choked out, his voice slightly fearful as he pinned himself against the wall, leaning as far away from her as possible. "Really, from my point of view, that's _very _reassuring, right now."

"Point number two," she interrupted, as though he had never spoken. "I am _not_ being an overreactive princess. You admitted to being a jerk, and guess what? If I want to be mad at you for it, I have a perfect right to do so. There is absolutely no rules stating that I'm not allowed to be upset with you, when you're a jerk to me."

"Is there a rule telling you to _back off_?" he questioned, eyeing her threatening finger uncertainly. "Because if there is, please abide by it."

"And point number _three,_" she got out, the anger ebbing away slightly in favour of some other emotion- something much more hysterical than the rest. "You have absolutely _no_ right to freak on me for being overly emotional. I wouldn't be this freakin' hormonal in the first place if it wasn't for you!"

"Oh yeah?" he questioned, thrown by this one. "And why is that?"

She eyed him for a moment, and they both froze as their gazes connected, strong and firm. There was still anger lingering in both of their eyes, but suddenly, Casey's anger was overpowered by something less powerful, and she dropped her finger from his chest, shaking her head with what could only be labelled as defeat.

"I'm hormonal because I'm pregnant," she said, her voice steady for the first time since their argument had begun. "How's that for stressful?"

Derek's face paled, and he felt like the earth around him had stopped spinning. Adrenaline was pulsating quickly through his veins now- depriving him of all ability to move, speak, or even think properly. His stomach was turning- doing a weird series of what felt like summersaults. Casey's words echoed through his head, and while he did not respond to her at all, the shock on his face gave away what he was feeling, right now.

Casey continued breathing heavily against him for a moment, before she finally found the willpower to take a step backwards, and back up towards the door. Derek wanted nothing more than to stop her- than to reach out and wrap his hand around her wrist, and pull her back to him. He had so many questions to ask her, so much that he needed to know, but he could not find the strength to make a move. His eyes were wide- trained steadily on her face- and it was hard enough to remind himself to breathe, let alone to reach out and pull her back to him now.

"I'll be downstairs, if you need me."

Without another word, she turned her back, and yanked the door open, storming through it deliberately and purposely. The white wooden door slammed behind her, shaking the wall on either side, but Derek took no notice of the after-effects as he remained pinned against the wall, body stiff, eyes wide.

If that wasn't the argument to end all arguments, then he didn't _want_ to know what came next.

* * *

**So this chapter was long, but I hope you enjoyed it. We will finally meet Matthew in the next chapter. And for those of you who asked- yes, Peter will come into play somewhere in this story. There is foreshadowing of him in TtH. :) **


	11. Luncheons

**Being off school sick for a week has its advantages- like being able to sit down and actually focus on writing a chapter. **

**There are hints in this chapter, so I will let you know- pay attention. :) **

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.**

**Chapter Eleven: Luncheons**

It took a good fifteen minutes before Derek could even pull himself away from their bedroom wall, and even then- it was on shaky and unstable legs. He did not dare to sneak a peek in the mirror, but if he did, he would guess that his cheeks would be white as chaulk, and that he would look absolutely and completely sick. He hadn't even ruled out that possibility, for his stomach was doing frontflips, backflips, summersaults, and pretty much everything in between. He wasn't even sure if the feeling was_ unpleasant_. It was more or less tied in with the shock factor, for him.

Pressing both hands against his face, he paced the length of their bedroom, eyes squeezed shut beneath his palms.

"Casey's pregnant," he let out, the words nothing but a muffled mess beneath his palms. "We're going to have another baby. I'm gonna be a father again."

No matter which way he phrased it, the idea was still absolutely surprising to Derek. Casey had been on birth control for well over a year now, and while he knew that it was never one hundred percent reliable, he had never figured that _they_ would be in that small percentile of people to which it failed. He supposed that Casey could have forgotten to take her pill on any given day, and even if that had only happened once or twice... well, it only took one time for something like this to occur.

As shocked as he was, he could still feel something else, surfacing even above his initial surprise. As he thought the situation over in his head, all he could think about was how shocked he had been the first time around, when Casey had told him that she was pregnant with Rebecca. Sure, he had been floored- completely overwhelmed with the seriousness of it all, just like he was now. Though he had hidden his doubts from Casey, he had been nervous when she had first told him of her pregnancy. He hadn't known what to do, or how to handle things. While he had managed to hide this side of him quite effectively for the first few months, he was pretty sure that she had caught on, eventually. He had been young, clueless, and pretty much scared out of his mind. Staying strong had been for Casey's benefit, not his own.

But out of that initial shock had come with it the very best thing in his life, aside from Casey.

Rebecca.

Hadn't his initial fear amounted to nothing, the moment he laid eyes on the beautiful baby girl in the doctor's arms, that very first day in the hospital? He could remember so easily how quickly all of his doubts had vanished- how foolish he had felt for getting so worked up over something so simple- something so wonderful.

Maybe being a father again wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. He had lucked out, really. He had been given the most precious little girl he could've imagined, and with this new baby coming from the same gene pool, wouldn't it only follow logic that they'd get another baby equally as wonderful as Rebecca?

Pulling his hands away from his face, he drew in a deep breath, knowing that he could not stay in the bedroom forever. His mind was still spinning a million miles a minute, and adrenaline was still pulsing through every last vein in his body. He was in no way prepared to deal with Casey just yet, but if he stayed holed up in this room any longer, he'd torture himself with all of his unanswered questions, and unnecessary worries.

So he shoved away any obvious panic on his face, trying his very hardest to put on a brave face, for everyone else's sake. He was half afraid that his shaking legs would betray him, but moments later, he found himself jogging uneasily down the stairs to the living room, his right hand glued to the railing as though it were a lifeline. There was no way he was trusting his unstable legs to carry him down this flight of stairs alone.

It was only when he landed on the bottom step that he felt safe enough to let go, and as he stopped in his tracks and looked around at the three people in the living room, he found that everyone was staring at him. Andrew and Casey were both sitting on the couch, and Rebecca had squeezed in between them, leaning into her mother's side. Casey was combing her fingers gently through Rebecca's hair, but her hands froze as she looked up at Derek, worry creasing in her brow.

Derek shook his head, crossing the room to collapse into his armchair, pulling the lever so that his footrest kicked into gear.

"What?" he urged, shrugging one shoulder at the lot of them. "Can't a guy come down the stairs without being stared at? Sheesh."

Casey only stared at him for another brief moment, before shaking her head, and pulling herself away from her daughter, sighing.

"I'm going to put Rebecca to bed," she said, with a pointed look towards the little girl. Becca made a face at her mother, as though begging for just five more minutes, but Casey shook her head with determination, her resolve blatantly stated all over her pretty features.

"I don't to hear any arguing tonight, alright Beck?" she asked, and there must have been something pleading in her voice, because for one of the few times to Derek's memory, Becca Venturi gave in without a fight. The hesitation and defiance on her face lasted for only a brief moment, before she had clamped her mouth shut, and nodded her head resolutely.

"Okay Mommy."

She did not wait for anyone to give her instruction. Without so much as a glance towards anyone else, she was running towards the stairs, her sandy-brown hair bobbing along in the form of a ponytail behind her.

"Night Daddy! Night Uncle Andrew!"

Both men were quick to call out a quick respose to her, and when the bathroom door slammed, Derek felt confident enough to steal a glance at Casey, his eyes filled with anticipation. He found that she was staring back at him, though it was not hard to tell that she was still upset with him. He could tell- just by the look in her eyes- that they were by no means on speaking terms, just yet. She was still angry with him, and he knew that they would have alot to discuss, when the time was right.

Taking a step towards him, she raised an eyebrow, her gaze cold and hard.

"We're talking later," was all she said to him, before breezing past him, and disappearing up the steps, brushing her long, light brown hair over her shoulder purposely as she went. Derek looked over his shoulder, staring after her, and the moment she was seemingly out of hearing range, Andrew grinned, leaning forwards towards his best friend.

"Is it _chilly_ in here, or was it just her?"

Derek's gaze swivelled instantly, and he narrowed his eyes into a glare at his best friend, shaking his head pointedly.

"Bravo, Drew. You've discovered humour."

Andrew merely laughed, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back, still grinning.

"No really, am I reading things wrong, or is there trouble in the land of Dasey?"

Derek raised a brow at that, amused.

"Dasey?" he questioned, and a small laugh escaped his lips then, unwillingly. "What, are we gonna start adopting foreign children now? Turn into the next Brangelina?"

Even at the mere mention of children, he felt his stomach clench, and the smile wiped from his features instantly, replaced by a frown. If he had not gone from one extreme to the next in such a short amount of time, Andrew might have laughed at that comment, but the distaste on his friend's face was enough to cause him a bit of concern.

He unfolded his arms, leaning forward slightly so that he was a bit closer to Derek. With a second glance towards the staircase, he frowned, looking suddenly curious.

"What is it, D?" he asked, as Derek gripped the armrest of his chair a little tighter. Andrew took notice, and he shrugged, cocking a half smile. "Whatever it is, don't take it out on the poor armchair. Tell Dr. Andrew."

Derek snorted at this, rolling his eyes as he moved his hand from the armrest, folding both arms pointedly across his chest.

"What, are we gonna start swapping secrets now?" he questioned, his tone sarcastic. "Maybe we could paint each other's nails, share a tube of lipgloss?"

Andrew scowled, his eyes narrowing in on the other man immediately. Despite what looked like anger, Derek could sense the amusement in his eyes, and he knew that Andrew was fighting off a smile right now.

"Not funny, Derek."

Derek ignored him, turning his attention back to the television. He trained his eyes steadily on the screen, but it was really to no use. His attention-span was too short even for the hockey game, today. There was way too much going on- too much on his mind for him to even consider paying attention to something as trivial as the hockey game. His love for hockey could usually take his mind off of anything else in his life- if only for the duration of one measly game, but when you had x number of potential killers after your family, and you had just discovered that your girlfriend was pregnant with your second kid... well, everyone had their limits, he supposed.

"Casey's pregnant," he stated, as calmly as if he were discussing the weather. "She told me about twenty minutes ago, when we were upstairs. She's going to have another baby."

He watched with boredom as the goalie missed an easy save, and the crowd stationed around the rink went wild, throwing in a mixture of cheers, and angry crys- depending on where their loyalty lay. Derek couldn't even remember which team had just scored, but if he could, he highly doubted that he would care, right now.

Andrew was still gawking at him, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he opened and closed his mouth three times in succession, clearly unable to form a coherent sentence. Derek fought back a smirk; a speechless Andrew was always amusing to watch. If you knocked all ability of speech out of someone _this_ social, then you must be pretty darn good at stunning people.

"You... she... Casey's... _what_?"

"Pregnant," Derek said, with an innocent shrug of the shoulder. When Andrew gaped at him still, he sighed, grabbing the remote off of the arm of his chair. As he began surfing through the channels, he spoke up again, voice slightly amused.

"I sense you're confused, so I'll provide a brief explanation."

Andrew blinked at him, his forehead wrinkled with curiousity.

"An explanation?" he asked fearfully, as if this were the most ridiculous thing he had heard all day. "What sort of explanation?"

Derek smirked slightly, eyes never leaving the television screen.

"You see, when a guy and a girl get together-"

Andrew's eyes nearly bugged out of his head at this one, and it took every ounce of Derek's willpower not to laugh at the aghast look on his best friend's face.

"Okay, enough!" Andrew warned him, holding up a hand as though this would stop Derek from going any further. "I _know_ how a pregnancy works, okay? Some of us paid attention in grade nine adolescense class."

"Oh yes," Derek smirked, giving Andrew an amused look. "A whole pocketful of misguided, lonely pre-teens who blush at the mere mention of the word sex."

Andrew grimaced, leaning forwards in his spot so that his elbows were propped against his knees. With his hands dangling carelessly in front of him, he nodded his head, a very serious and pointed look on his face.

"Glad to see you remember the class," he chided, sounding doubtful. "I think you're blanking on some of the material, though. You know... family planning, communication skills, _birth control_?"

The smirk wiped off of Derek's face immediately, and his jaw set firmly as he tightened his gaze on his best friend, his stare disapproving.

"She was _on_ birth control, alright?" he assured Andrew, shrugging one shoulder. "We're not completely stupid. She just... forgot to take one of her pills or something, I dunno."

"Then you remind her," Andrew pointed out, as though it were obvious. "Don't leave it all up to her. Women are scatterbrained creatures, you know that better than I do."

Derek turned away from his friend then, his expression resolved as he stared down at the floor, wordless. It was obvious that Andrew's scornful words were not helping him in the slightest, and right now, he was planning on shying away from anything short of helpful. He couldn't deal with anymore negativity in his life, at the moment.

"What's done is done," he declared, his tone resolved, absolute. "I can't take it back now, and... and even if I could, I'm not so sure I would."

Andrew's eyes widened slightly then, and it was obvious that Derek had sparked his interest. With a slight look of confusion dawning over him, he frowned, leaning back again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked Derek, as though he truly did not understand how Derek could feel this way. "You mean you're _happy_ that she's pregnant?"

Derek bit his lower lip gently, knowing it was best to think his answer through carefully, before verbalizing it.

_Was_ he happy about the pregnancy? He was shocked, yes. Even moreso, he was absolutely stunned. He had always known that birth control was not effective, but for his own girlfriend to be one of those few women who fell into the minority- for her to get pregnant... it had just never occured to him. Maybe he would have been more mentally prepared for this, if he had not been so sure that she couldn't get pregnant, just because of that tiny little pill he watched her swallow back everyday.

But the feeling that was washing over him now wasn't exactly negative, and when he thought about it- when he really,_ really_ gave it some thought... he could picture it. He could see himself and Casey, standing alongside Rebecca, with a newborn baby added to the mix. He could see himself picking out baby names with her, helping her with the nursery... all of the things that he had complained about during her first pregnancy, but had secretly loved doing anyway.

Sighing, he rubbed his temple, trying to relieve himself of his budding headache.

"I don't know," he admitted, deciding it was best to be honest.

Giving a half-hearted laugh, he turned to Andrew, shrugging cluelessly.

"Would it be so bad if I said I was happy that she was pregnant?" he asked, a guilty look lingering in his eyes. "I mean, sure... the timing of this is horrible. If there was an absolute worst time to get pregnant, Casey nailed it dead on. Having another baby in the midst of all of this mess is going to be a mess, but..."

He gave a lopsided shrug, a tiny smile forming on his lips.

"I dunno, Drew. I had my doubts about the first pregnancy too, and just look at what I got. Rebecca means the world to me, and... to have another one of her, to have someone else to love and take care of... I mean, it doesn't sound that bad to me. I can really picture myself being a father again."

Andrew, who had been fixing him with an awed look for the past twenty seconds or so, blinked a couple of times, as though he were trying to adjust his eyes to the sight in front of him. If the circumstances were not so dire, Derek might have recommended that a picture would last much longer, but he knew that now was not the time. Andrew needed a moment to process what Derek had just thrown at him, and he had to allow that to take place. If things were the other way around, he might be a little bit shocked too.

After a moment, Andrew seemed to snap out of his trance. His incredibly widened eyes went back to their normal size again, and he shook his head, leaning back with a dazed expression on his face. His arms folded across his chest again, and he let out a deep sigh, smiling with amusement.

"You've got more tolerance than I could ever dream of, D," he complimented, shrugging. "I'd have a hard enough time dealing with _Casey_, let alone a hyper five year old, and a newborn baby." There was pause, before he laughed, and continued. "Whatever, man. I guess this is your decision, and if you truly want another baby... I'm happy for you. You guys know I'll be here to help you with whatever you need. Babysitting, shopping..."

"Cooking, cleaning, therapy... the man is a regular Super-Mom," Derek teased, mock amazement written across his features. "The world needs more of you, Andrew."

Andrew grinned, shrugging one shoulder modestly, as though shoving off the praise that Derek had just fixed him with.

If there had been any panic left in Derek when he had entered the living room, Andrew's guidance had definitely rid him of it.

It was times like these when he was truly grateful to have such an amazing best friend at his side, no matter what happened.

- - - -

Andrew only stuck around for another half an hour or so, before he claimed he was going to go home and get some sleep. If Derek needed to meet up with Matthew Leary the next day, then Andrew would have to come over extra early to get some work cleared up, before watching Rebecca and Casey for him. Derek had gone over some basic guidelines with him, to ensure that nothing like last time could possibly repeat itself. Casey had lucked out the first time, but he wasn't so sure her attacker would be as lenient, if such an incident were to take place again.

He would not take that chance.

He had delayed going up to their bedroom, well aware that they needed to have one of their "serious talks". It wasn't that he didn't want to discuss this with her. He had about a million and one questions for her, all of which he wanted answers to as soon as possible. But he also understood that they were still technically fighting, and right now, he didn't think he had it in him to fight with her. A man could only deal with so many emotions at once, and right now, his emotional capacity was on overload.

But Casey had done all of the cleaning, not to mention put Rebecca to bed. He was finished his work for the night, and he had nowhere he needed to go. He could sit around and watch television for the rest of the night, but he knew that his heart just wouldn't be in it. Besides, watching television while Casey sat up in their bedroom by herself would be insensitive, and even he understood how wrong that was.

So only ten minutes after Andrew had left the house, he found himself entering the room, immediate deja vu washing over him as he caught sight of Casey's still figure, this time lying on her back, her eyes fixed blankly on some point on the ceiling. She must have acknowledged that he had entered the room, for he was within her vision range, but she made no move to greet him as he stepped inside the bedroom, closing the door gently behind him.

There was silence, and he gazed across the dimly lit room, squinting awkwardly at her as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

She did not turn her head, her expression blank as she shrugged one shoulder gently, hinting that she didn't care.

"You've already done that," she reminded him, her voice gentle, despite the tension between them. "Apology accepted- you're forgiven. End of story."

Derek walked towards the bed slowly, monitoring his every word and move carefully. He wasn't going to let this fight roll into a third day. He fully intended on going to sleep with Casey in his arms tonight, and if he had anything to do with it, she would want the same thing, very shortly.

"Your words don't match your actions," he pointed out, gesturing towards her motionless form on the bed. "You say I'm forgiven, and yet you're still freezing me out."

Casey's lips tightened together, but she gave no response as she lay there, silent and still.

Sighing, he rearranged his train of thought, deciding to go for a completely different approach.

"How long have you known?" he asked, hesitance in his eyes at this question. "About the pregnancy, I mean."

Her eyes did not move from the ceiling, but he saw the corners of her mouth twitch slightly, unwillingly. Her cheeks blushed gently as she ran her fingers along the hem of her black tank top, obviously trying to distract herself.

"I dunno," she answered, with an offhand jerk of the head. "A month, maybe?"

"A _month_," he repeated, his eyes widening slightly at the relevation. "You've known about this pregnancy for an entire _month, _and you didn't think it was necessary to tell me? I'm the father, dammit. I deserve to know these things."

This time, she turned her head towards him, raising an eyebrow at him skeptically. He felt his heart skip a beat at his own words, and he paled, gulping nervously.

"I... er, I _am_ the father, right?"

Her face turned red instantly, and she sat up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she shot him a dirty look, her eyes fixed in a glare.

"Of course you're the father," she assured him, and he was relieved at the honesty in her voice. "What sort of question is that? Who else would the father be?"

"I don't know, okay?" he got out, rubbing his forehead with his fingers, trying to relieve some tension. He paced the length of the room slowly, his forehead creased as he tried his best to come up with some sort of solution, to all of this.

"I'm just trying to think of some logical explanation as to why you wouldn't tell me about this," he explained, shrugging. "This is my baby too, Casey. Don't you think I deserve to be just a little bit informed?"

Casey frowned, resting her chin against her knee as she sighed, obviously stressed out.

"I didn't know how to tell you," she admitted, sounding guilty. "I mean, you're always so busy with work, and you're always complaining that you never have time for anything anymore. You come home from work, and you tell me how stressed you are, and then when this whole thing with the phone calls started coming up," she paused, a sad smile on her face as she shrugged, uncertain. "I just figured you didn't have the time or patience to deal with something like this, right now."

His pacing stopped then, and he turned to her, hand frozen on his forehead. Her eyes travelled instantly to his, and she waited anxiously for his response.

"Is that what you think?" he asked, his voice surprised as he watched her, studying her expression curiously. When she did not respond, he took a step closer to her, putting more urgency into his voice the second time around.

"Really, Casey. Do you honestly believe that I don't have the time or patience to deal with your pregnancy?"

Casey looked reluctant, and he knew that she was afraid of how he would react if she were to tell the truth. To be honest, he knew that it would hurt, if she were to confirm this knowledge. But as much as it would hurt him to hear that she lacked faith in him, it would tell him something more, something deeper. It would let him know that he wasn't doing his job right. If Casey could not come to him with something this important, this vital, then he needed to pay alot more attention to her. She needed to know that he would be with her through anything.

And just as he had predicted, a nod of the head signalled that his words were correct, that she really did think he was completely uninterested in dealing with one of the most important aspects of her life.

Before she could protest, he had perched himself on the edge of the bed, and he was pulling her tightly into his arms, burying her face against his shoulder. He pressed his face into her hair, inhaling deeply so that he could breathe in her scent- the scent of her vanilla shampoo, mixed with something more natural- something that always lingered there, in all the time he had known her. The scent of Casey was reassuring to him, and he rubbed her back gently, kissing the side of her head.

"I always have time for you," he reassured her, needing her to understand that. "There's not a thing in this world that's more important to me than keeping you happy. No matter how much I complain about work, I'm never too stressed to deal with something like this. Nothing else matters, so long as I'm doing my job at keeping you happy. That's the job that I truly care about."

"Really?" she murmered, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

"Really," he confirmed, before pulling back, looking her directly in the eye. He smiled, releasing her with one hand so that he could brush her hair away from her eyes, and tuck it behind her ear.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore, Casey," he said, cringing slightly as he recalled the day's events to mind. "Last night was horrible, and I can admit that it was my fault, for the most part. I'm not saying I'm going to make up with Edwin, because I'm not ready to do that. But I'm also not willing to let an argument with my brother cause drama in my relationship with my girlfriend. Me and you... we're stronger than that. l know you don't want to fight with me anymore than I want to fight with you."

He was only fearful for half a second, before her eyes had softened, returning to the crystalline blue that he loved and adored. All anger had faded from her eyes, and any worry of her rejecting his apology vanished instantly, under the gaze she was fixing him with.

"I don't want to fight anymore either," she confirmed, and without further discussion, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down so that her lips could meet with his. He felt warmth wash over him, and any previous tension between them was suddenly unsignificant, not to mention absent. He had not kissed her in over twenty four hours now, and the feeling of her lips against his did miracles, for him. He could only smile against her lips as he pulled her closer, before releasing her, breathing in deeply.

"Did I ever mention I _love_ making up with you?" he questioned, and she giggled gently, before kissing him once more, this one quicker than the first. He closed his eyes briefly, smirking slightly as he held her closer to his chest, opening his eyes to look down at her with pure affection.

"So about this baby," he started, wanting to get back on topic. "How far along are you?"

Casey smiled slightly at the mention of their unborn child, and she placed one hand over her belly, her eyes never leaving Derek's as she responded.

"Three months," she said, and the surprise in his eyes must have shown, for she laughed, obviously amused by this reaction. "You didn't expect me to be so far along, did you?"

He could only shake his head, and she leaned up, pressing her lips against his cheek softly. It lasted only briefly, before she pulled back, shrugging one shoulder as she kept her face close to his, their eyes never breaking the intense connection between them.

"I've only gained four pounds," she informed him, as she let her hand drift from her belly, running now along his side. Her fingers traced the hem of his shirt, sending goosebumps peppering up his spine when her cool fingers brushed gently to his warm skin. He ignored this reaction, and gave her a nod of the head, signalling that he was listening.

"With Rebecca, I had only gained three by the three month mark, so the doctor said I'm doing alright."

His eyes flashed with something like hurt, and he scanned her face quickly, frowning.

"You've been to a doctor?" She nodded. "Without me?"

The look she gave him was pointed, and he realized then that he was only bringing up things that would not matter, in the long run. They had been through her reasons for not telling him of the pregnancy. That was a thing of the past now, and he could not hold a grudge for something she had thought would help him, in the long run.

"Never mind," he sighed, shaking his head dismissively. "That was stupid of me, I know. The main thing is that you've been keeping your health in check it all. I'd be much more concerned if you'd just been monitoring this completely on your own- something your stubborn side would probably do, I'm sure."

She chose to ignore his stab at an insult, and he threw a nod in her direction, motioning for her to continue.

"Go on," he suggested, eager to hear more. "What else did the doctor tell you?"

Casey bit down on her lower lip gently, as though trying her hardest to come up with the most important things, first. Her train of thought lasted for only a moment, before her eyes sparkled with interest, and she turned back to him, looking vaguely excited.

"It's too early to make out the gender yet, but he thinks he might be able to tell us in another three weeks, or so."

Derek could not help but smile at this, but he said nothing as she continued.

"He said that the baby is developing normally, and that he can't find anything wrong with it."

"Of course not," Derek said, smirking as he pressed his forehead to hers, excited. "That baby's swimming in the richest gene pool imagineable. You're absolutely gorgeous, I'm downright sexy... we're a match made in heaven."

She rolled her eyes at his over-inflated ego, but she was never one to argue with him when he complimented her, nor when he called himself sexy. Derek _was _incredibly desireable, and Casey was often the envy of many other women, when she was out in public with him. She saw the jealous looks that girls gave her when Derek kissed her, or held onto her, but she had absolutely no problem with slipping her arm around his waist, or wrapping her arms around his neck to show that he was taken- he was off limits. Derek Venturi was her boyfriend, and she had absolutely no issues with flaunting it.

"I have another checkup next week," she informed him, trying to get back on topic. "You're more than welcome to come, if you'd like."

A quick nod of the head signalled that this would be okay, and he pressed his lips against hers briefly, pulling back almost immediately to look her directly in the eye.

"I'll be there."

- - - -

Derek slept much easier that night, knowing that the mounting tension between him and Casey had finally come to an end. Admittedly, it took him longer than usual to fall asleep, but only because he had so much more on his mind than he had the night before. Sure, he wasn't worrying about his fight with his girlfriend anymore, but he had newer issues to face now- much more serious than some silly fight with Casey.

The pregnancy, for starters. It had been increasingly difficult to fall asleep with such heavy knowledge resting atop his shoulders. Knowing that he was going to be a father again was a bit of a shocker, and he was not surprised to find this topic floating through the highway of his mind several times, before he fell asleep.

And on the other side of the fence, there was Matthew Leary's case. Derek felt bad for neglecting it as much as he had been, lately. He had been finding time to deal with his other cases quite sufficiently, but Matthew's case seemed to be giving him a harder time, it seemed. He was not sure if it was the unusual nature of things- for clients rarely came to them with issues of harassment, or if it was the increasing similarities between Matthew's case, and his own real-life situation. Could the similarities honestly be nothing of interest- mere coincidence?

He didn't know. Alll he really knew was that he needed to start coming up with a setup to frame this Marcus character, and fast. The quicker he got Matthew's case out of the way, the better for everyone.

By the time Derek had reached the restauraunt the next afternoon, he was feeling much more confident about things. He had held his doubts, as he had gotten ready to go and meet with the man. The rational side of him knew that this should've been cleared up ages ago, and that he should have met with Matthew the day after he had received the initial phone call- just like he did with all of his other cases.

But something had kept him from doing that. He could boil it all down to the ongoing drama in his own life, but for some reason, his reasoning behind not meeting with Matthew felt deeper- almost as though his subconcious was telling him not to do so.

But as he sat in a booth at promptly one fifty five, waiting very patiently for his client to arrive, he felt half foolish for having such doubts. Sure, his subconcious was still shouting ridiculous warnings at him, but a calmer side of him understood that this was foolish. Matthew was just another client- just someone else who he would deal with, and then never see again in his lifetime.

Of course, that was what Andrew had thought about Derek as well. Derek had been nothing but a client to Andrew, at first, just as Andrew had merely been "Mr. Wallace", his investigator. But almost seven years later, Derek was still pestering Andrew daily, and Andrew still hadn't managed to squash the stupidity out of his client turned co-worker.

Derek's thoughts were interrupted when a man slid into the bench across from Derek, his shadow casting faintly across the black and white marble of the table in front of them. Derek's gaze lifted to meet with his companions, and when he did so, he was met with the face of a smiling man, who looked to be at least in his thirties.

This gave Derek pause. For some reason, he had pictured Matthew to be much younger than he appeared. He had been imagining some sort of twenty-something, gangsta-wannabe; someone who had trouble with staying _out_ of trouble.

But Matthew had surprised him.

He was around Derek's height, with hair that was distinguishable as somewhere between black, or dark brown. It was almost the same colour as Marti's hair, if he were to try and decribe it more accurately, and it was cut close to his head, sort of like Edwin's hairstyle in his junior high years. Despite his current distaste towards his brother, he had to hold back laughter at this one. Maybe this guy was in business with his brother. While Edwin's hairstyle now practically matched Derek's, it _would _be the best explanation he could come up with for the resemblance.

Despite Derek's gut feeling that Matthew had been more "gangsta" than anything else, he had been proved wrong. To be honest, Matthew's style wasn't all that different from his own. He wore a black button up shirt, with a white tee visible underneath. On his legs were a pair of slightly faded jeans, and a pair of black and white DC's topped off the mix. If Derek were to describe the man's style in one word, he supposed it would be preppy, though he was sure there was a better term for the look.

Matthew smiled politely at his private investigator, and for some reason, the smile sent chills running up Derek's spine. Usually, there was a certain level of warmth and welcome to an individual's smile, but this was not the case with Matthew. No, this man's smile- while seemingly well-intentioned- was much too chilling to be considered welcoming.

"Derek Venturi?" he questioned, his voice smooth and calm. When Derek merely nodded, unable to move his eyes away from the man's smile, Matthew gave a crooked smirk, nodding pointedly at his companion.

"Matthew Leary," he greeted, extending a hand across the table for Derek to shake. "Good to finally meet you, huh?"

Despite the slightly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, Derek somehow managed to shake himself from his dazed stupor, and reach his own hand across the table, grasping it firmly around Matthew's.

This did nothing to ease Derek's discomfort. The smile, he could almost pass off as nothing. The airy, smooth tone of his voice, he could even ignore- however mischevious it sounded.

But the feel of Matthew's cool, icy skin against his own was too much. While the restauraunt seemed to be heated at a fairly decent temperature, the contact of Matthew's skin upon his own sent goosebumps rising across the surface of Derek's skin, every last one adding to the persistant voice in his head that was yelling at him to run.

"Have you ordered yet?"

The silent spell that seemed to have been cast around Derek was suddenly broken, and he found himself staring right into Matthew's cold, blue eyes, his own gaze slightly suspicious. He saw that Matthew was throwing him a questioning look- one that semeed, at first glance, completely and totally innocent.

Derek frowned, his forehead wrinkling under stress. Why was he acting like such an idiot? Matthew was trying to be nice to him, wasn't he? So what if he had an eerie smile, or a creepy sounding voice? So what if he sent shivers erupting all over Derek's body? Maybe _he_ was the one who needed help, if he was overreacting to every little thing that this man did. He supposed it could all boil down to everything that had been going on lately, in his own life. His current situation was requiring him to be more keen than ever, and more observant than he had thought imagineable. Perhaps that instinctive observational tendency was just extending a little too far, in this case. Matthew had given Derek no reason not to trust him, and unless something happened to change that, he could not stereotype this guy as a creep. Not yet, anyway.

So he shook off the persistant doubts in his mind, and engaged in friendly chat with Matthew as they ordered their food, and sat back to wait until their meal arrived. The waiter brought them their drinks fairly quickly- a coke for Derek, and a root beer for Matthew, and the men chatted absently about sports while they waited for their main courses to arrive.

The more Derek spoke with Matthew, the more he realized that the guy wasn't all that different from himself, when it came to the world of sports. Any other time, he would've welcomed a fellow hockey-fan with open arms, but even after fifteen minutes had passed, he could not shake that gnawing feeling that something was up- something wasn't right.

When the food arrived, however, both men seemed to understand that it was time to get down to business. They had broken the ice with absent-minded chit chat, but they had come here for a purpose- and that purpose was to discuss Matthew's case.

"So Matthew," Derek said, as he used his knife to cut his chicken into four even strips. "How do you want to go about this whole... setup, as you call it? I think you mentioned you wanted it captured on video- something about... getting rock-solid proof?"

Matthew nodded his head as he took a bite of his pasta, chewing carefully.

"I don't want anyone to doubt that this guy's a creep," he said, before pausing to take a sip of his root beer. He let the straw fall from his lips as he shrugged, careless. "If that means getting this guy on tape, then so be it. I'll do whatever it takes to get revenge on this guy, for the hell he's put my girl through. I want him behind bars."

Derek could sense the passion in Matthew's voice- something that was usually essential, for solving cases such as these.

"I can tell that you're dedicated," he observed, pleased with this relevation. "That'll help, when we try and catch this guy. I can't count how many cases have slipped through the cracks because someone left it entirely up to me or my partner."

Derek paused, raising his glass to his mouth, his lips circling the straw easily. He took a small sip of his coke, before shrugging his shoulders, and placing his glass down against the table's surface again.

"This field of work, it requires dedication on both parts," he explained, as he picked up his fork again, poking at his vegetables aimlessly. His brow furrowed, and he shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up with disgust.

"Sort of like me eating vegetables," he trailed off, sighing. "I wouldn't touch the stuff at all, if my girlfriend would lay off with the stupid health-food lectures."

Matthew chuckled, obviously much more comfortable with casual chat than he was with business. Derek knew that he should not get so off topic like he was, but that was the sort of guy he was. His cases usually worked out twenty times better, when he took the time to get to know his clients a little bit better. And really, socializing had always been Derek's stronger point.

"Health nut as a girlfriend, huh?" Matthew observed, and when Derek only nodded, he laughed, leaning back against the bench more casually. "I know the type. My girlfriend Meena gets the same way. I can't open a can of Pringles without her breathing down my neck."

Derek raised his gaze to Matthew's then, grinning.

"And I bet you know the Canada's food guide off by heart now, right?"

Matthew merely nodded, still smiling with amusement.

"Five to twelve servings of grain a day makes for a healthy boyfriend, I've been told."

Derek caught on quickly, laughing lightly as he added onto Matthew's sarcasm.

"Don't forget five to ten servings of fruits and veggies," he chided, with a mock grin set on his lips. "Because really, every man has _time _to chow down on apples and bananas everyday."

Matthew rolled his eyes, tilting his head slightly to the right as he nodded once, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sounds like our girlfriends have a whole lot in common," he noted, as though this thought had just occured to him. "I'm sure they'd get along just great."

Something in Matthew's words had sobered Derek up fairly quickly, and he found himself swallowing back a fresh dose of panic, forcing a smile onto his lips for the sake of his client. He muttered some useless jibe about how he was sure the girls would get along wonderfully, but to be honest, he could not even recall the words that had left his mouth.

Because those two girls had more in common than Matthew was even aware of. Sure, their health food kick was a random fact- one that could apply to almost any girl in the world. And yeah, they both had total hockey-heads for boyfriends- once again, coincidental. Over half of Canada's male population was a sports nut, he was almost certain.

But for both girls to be in such dire danger- for their lives to be so unnecessarily at risk at the same time- that seemed more suspicious, to Derek. Could it be mere irony- the similarities that existed between them?

Maybe. He tried telling himself that this sort of coincidence could happen to anyone- that two women's computers could be hacked in the same week, and that both women could receive dangerous threats to their lives. lt seemed a little out there, for such events to take place so spontaneously, but he could not bring himself to believe that the cases were related. Meena's ex-boyfriend had a motivation- a reason to want her to suffer. He was a heartbroken, lonely psycho who didn't know how to let go.

And Casey's attacker... well, Casey's attacker wanted revenge against _Derek_, not against the girls themselves.

There could never be any sort of connection between the two, right?

Yeah, he wasn't so sure.

* * *

**Reviews are lovely. Anything constructive is welcome, also. **


	12. Wilson

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twelve: Wilson**

By the time Derek got home from his lunch meeting with Matthew, it was almost four thirty. They had finally gotten back to business, and while Derek had felt uncertain about this case only this morning, he now felt fully confident that they would be able to catch this creep. He had gone into that restauraunt with a blank slate, so to speak, but after working together with Matthew for awhile, they finally had the beginnings of a plan- the skeleton, if he were to phrase it appropriately.

When he pulled up in front of their large, fairly suburban home, he was not at all surprised to see Andrew's car still parked in the driveway- meaning that the girls were still home, as well. Andrew had vowed not to go anywhere without taking the girls with him, and Derek had gotten the feeling that Andrew understood he was not comfortable with the girls leaving at all, unless completely necessary.

As he walked in through the front door of his house, he sighed, tossing his car keys and his business folder onto the small bench that rested against the far right wall of their porch. His belongings fell with a gentle thud, and he yanked open the main door, not bothering to take off his shoes as he made his way towards the living room.

"I'm home, for whoever cares," he called out randomly, but came to a dead halt in the doorframe when he caught sight of what was going on in the living room.

Casey was sitting on the couch, leaning forwards slightly, looking as though she was in deep conversation with the two people across the table from her.

One of those companions was, of course, Andrew. He was sitting stiffly against the arm of the couch, his pose alert and stressed, his eyes trained steadily against the figure next to him. Derek recognized Andrew's posture well; it was the stance he always placed himself in when he didn't trust someone- when he thought that they were capable of pulling a one eighty at any given moment.

And as Derek's eyes focused on the last occupant of the room, he felt every nerve ending in his body go haywire. Adrenaline pulsed heavily through his veins, and he could feel every heartbeat against his chest, telling him to act quick- to get this sick freak out of his house before he got in too deep. He had learned from experience that it would be best to eliminate this man from his life, before he caused more problems than Derek could even handle.

And as the man turned towards the doorway, eyes wary, Derek found himself looking straight into the eyes of Terrence Wilson.

Fists clenched, he took a step into the living room, panic sweeping through his body all at once, swelling up in his throat instantly.

"Okay, this is _not_ happening."

At the sound of her boyfriend's voice, Casey's head turned, and her gaze met with Derek's, her expression slightly guilt-ridden. Her cheeks blushed red as she realized that they were caught, and she pushed herself up off of the couch, making her way quickly towards Derek.

As Casey grabbed ahold of Derek's elbow, he locked his eyes with Andrew, who merely shrugged at him shamefully, as though he were apologizing for the current scenario.

Derek's eyes narrowed on Andrew, and he shook his head, frowning.

"Dude, you're the worst babysitter ever."

Andrew looked away from his best friend, guilt written all over his features, but Casey merely tightened her grip against her boyfriend's elbow, shooting him a pleading look.

"Derek, he's not here to cause any trouble, honest."

Derek snorted, not meeting her gaze as he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling, disbelieving.

"Reality, meet Casey McDonald. Casey McDonald, meet gullible," he chided, before rounding on her, his gaze accusatory. "How can you honestly _defend_ him, Casey? After everything that went on before, after all he put you through-"

"It's different this time."

He wanted to respond to that statement, he really did, but he suddenly found his mouth hanging open, suddenly unable to form a single word, much less string together an entire sentence. Casey must have sensed his shock, for she quickly tightened her grip on his elbow, as though afraid he would let loose and attack Terrence at any given second.

"He came to help us this time," she said quietly, using the calm tone that she knew would help to calm him. "Before you kick him out, I... I really think you should listen to what he has to say. Trust me when I say that this is something you really want to hear."

Derek's eyes shot curiously towards Terrence, who was watching him hopefully now, as though he really, truly wanted his rival to listen to what he had to say. He knew that he shouldn't feel as strong of a hatred towards Terrence as he did for the rest of the Wilsons, for this was the man who had helped him, in the end. When it had come down to it, good had triumphed evil, and Terrence had worked against his brothers to help Derek and Casey. And while Derek was plenty grateful for this, he was not overly fond of having Casey's ex in their house, especially since he _had _been involved in hurting her, in some way.

It was two against one, and he found himself turning towards his last hope, his loyal and trustworthy best friend.

"Andrew?" he questioned, shooting his his best friend a pleading look. If Andrew could just agree that this was all nonsense- that Terrence should get out of their house, the score would be even, and Derek would have perfect reason to kick Andrew out.

After all, Andrew's opinion was professional, profound, respected, and-

"I think you need to listen what he has to say."

Derek blinked with disbelief at his best friend, trying to comprehend what Andrew had just said to him. While his friend was watching him with a very uncertain expression, and while he understood that Andrew was no more comfortable with this situation than he was, there was something in Andrew's eyes that gave Derek pause. If Andrew Wallace, the most criminally experienced man he had ever met, thought that it was best to let Terrence stay, then he knew he had to give this a shot. Andrew's opinion was one that he held to high respects, and he didn't want to look like totally childish, for going against everyone else's advice.

So he gently pulled his elbow from Casey's grasp, throwing himself unhappily into the nearest armchair. He propped his feet against the coffee table in front of him, and cracked his knuckles pointedly as he raised an eyebrow at Terrence, a slight smirk on his face.

"Speak up, pretty boy," he warned, as Casey took a seat on the arm of his chair. "If these two weren't so stupidly blinded by your charm, you would've been kicked out from the moment I walked in the door."

Terrence, who obviously still had a smidge of that shy streak left in him, blushed deep crimson, giving Derek a slightly guilty look.

"I'll leave, if that's what you really want," he offered, though it was obvious that he wanted to do no such thing. "I'm sure they could explain it to you almost as good as me, and I really wouldn't want to trespass. I'll only stay for as long as I'm welcome."

Derek laughed coldly, folding his arms haughtily across his chest.

"Did you hear that, Casey?" he sneered, with a nod of the head towards Terrence. "Terrence left five minutes ago."

Casey's cheeks reddened, and she narrowed her eyes angrily at her overreactive boyfriend, shaking her head at him angrily.

"Don't be rude," she snapped, before turning to Derek's blushing victim, forcing an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about this, but I hope you can understand where he's coming from. Alot went on before, but Derek will behave now." She threw him a dirty look for emphasis, raising an eyebrow. "_Won't_ you, Derek?"

Any other time, he might have feared that dangerous spark in her eyes. He knew from experience that an angry, not to mention pregnant Casey was not a force to be reckoned with. He would usually choose to walk over scalding hot bricks, before he would provoke an angry Casey. Doing so would sort of be like poking a sleeping dragon in the eye.

But this was one of those very rare occasions where he could not let his opinion slide. Despite the help that Terrence had offered the two of them in the end, Derek still didn't trust him. Terrence had abused Casey just like his brothers had, and whether it had been through force or not, violence was not a pretty trait, in a guy. Throw in the fact that Terrence was a _Wilson_, and Derek was turned away from him altogether.

"The word 'behave' isn't really in my vocabulary, _babe_," he retorted, his own tone almost mocking of her own. When her glare tightened against his handsome features, he felt anger bubble up inside of him, though nowhere near as strong as the anger he had felt towards his younger brother, in the hotel room. He made a mental promise to himself not to get as out of hand as he had before, but nonetheless, he could not believe Casey and Andrew would betray him like that, and for a Wilson. Did loyalty mean nothing, to them?

"Look Derek," Terrence spoke up, pushing his soft brown hair away from his eyes, meeting Derek's hateful gaze reluctantly. "I know we've had our differences in the past, and I know I can never apologize enough for what I caused, but just... hear me out here, please. Listen to what I have to say."

Derek snorted, narrowing his eyes on Terrence as he shook his head, tossing the man a curious and suspicious look.

"You've never given me much of a reason to trust you, Terrence," he reminded him, shrugging one shoulder. "You and I worked together to defeat your brothers in the end, but-"

"That's exactly what this is about!" Terrence interrupted, perhaps sensing the first available opening, in Derek's speech. Derek's mouth hung open mid-sentence, and Terrence rushed on, running with the most opportune of potential openings to their pending conversation.

"My brother, Jake," he explained, his expression still tense, as though he was not completely convinced that he had Derek's attention, just yet. "You remember the one Mark and Franz were fighting to have released- the whole foundation behind the shooting?"

Derek nodded his head, somehow managing to close his mouth firmly shut. It was taking every ounce of his strength and willpower not to argue against Terrence- to go against his better judgement, and just kick the guy out. If Casey and Andrew only knew how much self-restraint it took for him to swallow his pride like this, they would never have put him through this, he was sure.

Nonetheless, this sounded important, and so long as Terrence's hands stayed where he could see them, he supposed it would be worth a shot to hear the poor guy out, just this once.

"I remember Jake," he forced out, his eyes never leaving Terrence's face. "But what's so important that you had to come bursting back into our lives, after seven years of absence? Really, I was enjoying the peace and quiet."

From the corner of his eye, he saw the brow that Andrew raised at him, but he chose to ignore the obvious doubt that the man was throwing his way. Privately, he already knew what was going through Andrew's mind, for it was the same thing running through his own. Peace and quiet, in his and Casey's life?

Yeah, sure.

If Terrence noticed the doubt on Andrew's face, he said nothing, just as he chose to remain unspoken against Derek's obvious jab at him. His face bore nothing but pure concern, and absolute worry as he leaned forward in his spot on the couch, elbows propped gently against his knees.

"Jake was in jail on an eight year sentence," he explained slowly, letting out a deep breath. "He was facing four years for the assault on his ex-girlfriend, and another four for harassment and abuse."

Derek said nothing, not understanding where this was going, and Casey placed a hand gently against his shoulder, squeezing lightly as though anticipating upcoming tension.

"Jacob was released from prison three weeks ago," she explained softly, trying her best not to sound too worried. She must have felt Derek's muscles tense beneath her hand, for she rushed on, obviously recalling how easily worked up, he could get.

"It's... it's probably nothing to worry about though, and I'm sure it means nothing. He's... he's probably just-"

Derek spun around in his chair then, his eyes narrowed with disbelief as he caught sight of the unintended target of his current anger. As his eyes set on his girlfriend, he saw the immediate panic sweep across her face, and her cheeks blushed bright red as he opened his mouth to argue against her.

"How can you say it means _nothing_?" he spat out harshly, unable to stop the uneven wavering to his voice. "Jesus, Casey- how stupid can you be? You can't honestly tell me that you have no worries whatsoever about Jake, when you know _full well_ that there's been someone after our family for a good week now."

Terrence's body visibly tensed then, and he sat up straighter, seemingly alert with shock.

"Wait, what?" he asked, sounding worried now. "Did you say there's someone after your family? As in... someone's been harassing you guys?"

Derek whipped his gaze back to Terrence, fixing him with the most degrading look he could summon up.

"Yeah, what's it to you, tough guy?" he mocked, with a snort of bitter laughter. "You didn't much care when it was you and your family slapping my girlfriend around, did you? Where was all of your 'concern' back then, huh?"

Terrence frowned, lowering his gaze towards the ground with guilt. He could show a strong front against almost anything that Derek Venturi could throw at him, but this was something that he could not argue with, something that was impossible to deny. While he had technically been bullied into playing a role in the shooting, and everything that followed, he had still had a say in his own actions. When worse came to worst, he had listened to his brothers, and he had hurt Casey, to ensure that his brothers did not hurt him. And while he had not been happy about it, he had not considered the other alternative; saying no. He had not cared enough about her safety to deny his brothers, something that Derek would not have thought twice about, if their roles had been reversed.

"You're right about that," Terrence admitted, and if anything, Derek was pleased that he had not tried to deny his own mistakes. At least the guy had _some_ morals, about him. "I can't say I'm proud of the decisions I made before. I hurt her to protect myself, and that's something I'll never quite forgive."

Derek's jaw tightened, but he did not respond as he waited, wanting to hear more from Terrence. Casey's smooth palm had tightened around his shoulder, but this time, he knew that there was more comfort to her touch, than anything. He knew that she understood the tension he was feeling was not entirely due to his uncontrollable anger, for it was mixed with the pain that came along with recalling some of his darkest memories. Seeing Casey bruised and aching, huddled in the far corner of a cold, abandoned bedroom, completely and totally alone...

There were some memories that even time couldn't heal. And judging by the obvious tension of his muscles, it was apparant that Casey understood that.

"It doesn't matter how much you hate me, or whether or not you think my opinion is worth a damn," he expressed, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "What matters here is that my brother is back in society now, and you know just as well as I do that this can't possibly be a good thing for anyone."

For the briefest of moments, Derek considered arguing with his old enemy further. There was nothing he would have enjoyed more than telling Terrence to get his sorry butt out of his house, and never show his face around here again. He would've loved to just take the scrawny creep, and be granted the few punches he felt he deserved to throw, after everything that Terrence had put him through seven years ago. He wanted to scream at him, to completely lose all self-control and call Terrence out on every last wrongdoing he had ever committed. Nothing would give Derek greater pleasure than to see the sheer guilt on his features- undeniable, and real, right before his eyes.

But as he turned his head to the right, his eyes fell easily on his girlfriend, so innocent and peaceful. Casey had done nothing to deserve the hand she had been dealt during her final year of university, but she had faced it all with her head held high, and with more bravery and courage than Derek had ever expected, even from her.

And if she could take the higher road, and push past her old grudges, couldn't he? Was it possible for him to bury such a strong hatred, to shove it so far past his mind that he could actually _care _about something that Terrence had to say to him?

It took every shred of his self-control to turn back to Terrence, and give one nod of the head, indicating that he was listening now.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked, ignoring the relief that spread across Terrence's face. "I mean, I'm glad you told us about this, but what would you like me to do about it?"

Terrence pulled his best thinking face, the corners of his mouth tugging down into a thoughtful frown. From the look in his eyes, he already had a key suggestion in mind, and Derek rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Get on with it, Wilson," he ordered, a harsh edge of authority to his voice. "I haven't got all day."

Terrence cringed, but somehow managed to open his mouth, and let his "brilliant" ideas come to life.

"I think we should work together," he blurted out, and if he wasn't already so flushed in the cheeks, Derek knew he would've blushed. "I know you hate me, and I know we don't have the best history but I just want to help Casey."

Anger swept over Derek's face, and Terrence's eyes widened slightly as he realized where he'd stumbled.

"I mean, you and Casey," he covered, an obvious ditch at saving himself. "I want to help... both of you. And I think that if we worked together, we could really... I dunno, put two and two together. See if it really is my brother behind this."

The anger in Derek's eyes had faded some, but he merely blinked at Terrence as the guy sat there uncomfortably, waiting for a response.

"So?" he asked, as though he didn't understand Derek's silence. "What do you think?"

But it was of no use, for the only response he was met with was the sound of Derek's amused and smug laughter, ringing throughout the entire room.

So he'd thrown forgiveness out the window, but really- who was Terrence trying to kid? Derek work together with a Wilson?

Not a chance in the world.

- - - - -

Shock. Complete, total, and utter shock.

That was the only way that Derek could describe what he felt, as he stared blankly at the television screen later that evening. He watched the news every single night, and he had always shaken his head at the tragedys, pitying the victims, but never fully understanding just how difficult it must be for someone directly linked to the incident.

Not until now, anyway.

He kept his arm firmly around Casey's waist as himself and Andrew watched the crime scene unfold on their local news channel, displayed brightly on Derek's forty-six inch widescreen television. He rather felt as though the footage shown could not properly convey the horror that he felt, right now.

"Police have confirmed the male victim as forty-six year old Patrick Bennett, and the female as his wife, Pauline Bennett. The couple's sixteen year old son, whose name shall not be released, is also believed to have perished in the blaze, but a third body has not yet been found."

Before they could continue watching the live coverage, Andrew had grasped the remote in his hand, and shut off the television. Derek was the first to glance over at his friend, but before he could question Andrew's actions, his friend nodded towards the doorway, where Rebecca had suddenly appeared. She was standing in the doorway, dressed from head to toe in pink. Her pink tank top matched against her pink jogging pants, and even her long, brown hair was pulled back with a pink butterfly clip. She was shooting her parents furtive glances, as though she could sense the tension in the room, and was unsure of whether or not she should enter.

Derek and Casey shared a brief look, before Derek released a sigh, and nodded towards the five year old, indicating that it was okay for her to join them.

She immediately broke into smiles, and the mere sight of it was enough to relieve some of the tension that Derek was currently feeling. As his little girl scrambled up onto both of her parent's laps, he somehow managed to force a smile, and fight back some of his discomfort.

"Weren't you working on homework?" Casey asked, as she combed her fingers through Rebecca's hair. "I'm sure you've got alot to do, before your father brings your folder to your teacher on Friday."

Rebecca smiled proudly, her missing front tooth standing out as she shook her head, her hair falling in a mess around either side of her face.

"I'm all done!" she exclaimed, obviously quite pleased with herself. "I skipped one of my math questions, 'cause I didn't understand how to do it, but the rest is done!"

Casey leaned forwards to kiss her daughter's forehead, a genuine smile masking her current panic.

"I'll help you figure out that question before bed, okay baby?" she promised, her voice distracted and slightly distant. "I'm really glad you finished all of your work, though."

Becca merely beamed, but before anyone could say anything else, there were foosteps coming towards the living room, and a male voice spoke up as Terrence walked through the doorway of the living room, his cellphone held tightly in his right hand, palm closed. Derek was still uncomfortable with his presence, but he had been too distracted to argue the man further, once they'd caught sight of the breaking news coverage that had flashed suddenly across the television screen. Terrence had somehow managed to stick around so far, but Derek was hoping that- with any luck, he would manage to kick the guy out within the next twenty minutes.

He managed to look up with interest as the guy came to a stop a few feet away from Derek, shaking his head.

"I just got off the phone with my brother," Terrence said, and when he saw the mistrust flicker across Derek's face, he quickly added; "The good brother."

Derek merely blinked, and he rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest pointedly.

"Nathan?" he refreshed, and the confusion on Derek's face must have melted away then, because he continued. "He's been in touch with Jake twice, since..." he trailed off, his eyes landing on the five year old that he had not yet met, and his brow furrowed as he bit his lip, struggling for the appropriate words. "since the... _release_. He says Jake hasn't mentioned anything about the other two. You know.."

"I get it," Derek said quickly, knowing that Terrence was referring to Mark and Franz. He saw that Terrence's eyes were still fixed uncertainly on the five year old girl that was sitting directly in the middle of her parent's laps, and he realized that Terrence probably had no idea that him and Casey even had a daughter. She had been upstairs for the majority of the evening, so nobody had really gotten a chance to introduce the two to each other. In Derek's case, he hadn't really _wanted _to introduce the two. He was uncomfortable enough letting this guy around Casey, let alone around his five year old daughter.

Casey must have realized the same thing as Derek, for she quickly reached out, brushing Rebecca's hair back off of her face again, so that her face would be more visible to Terrence.

"This is Rebecca," she said politely, with a brief smile. "She's mine and Derek's daughter."

Terrence bristled, and Derek knew that it was almost like a knife in the back, to see that Casey and Derek had actually worked their life out pretty well- to know that the girl he had once pined after so shamelessly had wound up happy, and with one of his worst enemies, at that.

Nonetheless, Rebecca was an innocent kindergardener, and when he burrowed under the surface of her parentage, it was impossible to deny her brilliant, dazzling smile. Before he really knew what he was doing, he had returned the friendly gesture, nodding once towards the child.

"Nice to meet you," he said, and before he could stop himself, he had rushed on. "I'm sure you're just a perfect imitation of your mother."

The recrimination in his voice was too obvious to ignore, and despite their forced peace-treaty, Derek found himself narrowing his eyes, his expression unchanging.

"Are you implying something here?" he demanded, prickling. "Because if you are-"

"Derek," Casey cut in, with a spiteful nod towards their daughter. "I don't think now is the time to be... er, discussing those sorts of things, wouldn't you agree?"

His first instinct was to dismiss her comments, for he did not agree with her in the slightest. But experience had taught him better than to fight with a determined girlfriend, and he didn't really want to start a fight in front of his five year old, so he merely twisted the corners of his mouth into a curt grimace, giving a single nod of the head.

"Of course, baby," he lied, not missing a beat. "You're right, as usual."

There was a ragged sort of bitterness to his voice, and he could have sworn that her eyes lingered against his for a moment longer than they should have, as though she was trying to decode the sarcasm that had engulfed his every word.

But she must have decided that it was not important, for she shook her head, a sigh escaping her lips as she threw one of her fake, cheery smiles at Rebecca.

"Becca honey, why don't you go on upstairs for a little while and play with your barbies?" she asked, trying to sound excited about this. "We just need to have a little grownup talk."

Becca wrinkled her nose at this, as though it were the most repulsive idea that she had heard of all evening.

"Sounds wicked boring," she commented, and Casey merely chuckled as she placed her hands under her daughter's arms, lowering her down onto the floor Rebecca straightened herself up on both feet, before shaking her head and skipping off towards the door with an amused smile on her face.

Terrence's head turned to stare after her, but his gaze only lasted a moment before he turned back to the couple, looking slightly dazed.

"She's really something, isn't she?"

Derek hated this. He hated that he had to smile, and pretend to be all "buddy-buddy" with someone he truly could not stand. He hated that Casey and Andrew seemed to be absolutely blinded by Terrence's whole "wolf in sheep's clothing" act. He hated that Terrence was giving him absolutely no reason not to trust him, for it made hating him that much more irrational.

But most of all, he hated that he could do _absolutely nothing_ about any of it. If he wanted to stay on Casey's good side, and maybe even Andrew's too, he would have to suck it up, and act like being in the same room with this creep was something he could handle. He would force himself to bite back insults and jabs, to fight against every protective instinct that raged inside of him everytime Terrence so much as laid eyes against Casey- the object of his past desire.

"About the deaths," Derek said, more to distract himself than anything else. He gave a quick nod towards the television, his gaze concerned.

"Do you think the deaths were.."

"-planned?" Andrew intervened, quirking a brow. Derek nodded his head, and he shrugged a shoulder, mouth twitching slightly.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he observed, and when no one answered, he continued. "Think about this for a second. Eight years ago, Patrick Bennett puts Terrence's brother behind bars. His family pulls off a public massacre, in a botched attempt to get their brother released from jail. They end up in prison, and no one has gone near Bennett, all of this time."

Derek's lips twitched, but he said nothing as he nodded towards Andrew, indicating that he was following so far.

As if along the same lines, Terrence took a seat in a nearby armchair, frowning. "Keep on going, Wallace. I want to know where you're taking this."

Terrence's referral to him cost Andrew only a moment of pause, before he fought back his own dislike for the man, and continued blasely.

"Around a week or so ago, give or take a couple of days, someone starts harassing Derek and Casey- two people that were directly, and immensely involved in the shooting. They haven't been touched in seven years, not since Mark and Franz got sent away, but suddenly, they're getting death threats."

His hands folded together against his lap as he leaned back, shrugging both shoulders.

"I just think it's a little suspicious," he observed, his voice casual. "A fatal fire in the judge's house, right after a known enemy gets released from prison? Nobody will ever think to suspect Jacob, but they do know that the fire is labelled as suspicious. The fire was just as destructive on the top floor as it was on the bottom, and they can't seem to pinpoint one place of origin. As far as they can tell, the original evidence is stemming from two or three rooms, meaning that the fire could have originated from multiple locations."

Derek's teeth sank into his lower lip, and he tugged on it gently as he stared down at the floor, thinking all of this over. What Andrew was saying made a whole lot of sense. The average person would not understand anything too out of the ordinary, because not everybody knew that Bennett and his family had enemies- just like Derek's family did. Andrew had been on the phone with fellow crime-related buddies all afternoon, and from what he could gather, the fire that had killed the couple was more dangerous than the newsstations were letting on.

Even more disturbing, they seemed to suspect that sixteen year old Dylan Bennett wasn't really dead, despite almost definite reports from the authorities. The police had claimed that they'd called around, and that Dylan's friends had all confirmed that their friend had been home, around the time that the blaze began. Some reports had stated that the teen's car had been in the driveway only moments before the first signs of fire had appeared, but later reports indicated that the car was gone once the firefighters arrived, leaving Derek to wonder; were the first reports true at all? Was Dylan Bennett actually the sole survivor of the fire?

The public would see instant tragedy; a proper investigator would see something much deeper. A sixteen year old boy getting killed in the blaze that had taken his parent's lives, but leaving no body behind? The flurry of reports that his car had been present, only to find an empty driveway moments later? A much blinder mind might have seen nothing out of the ordinary here, but Derek understood that something was up- something wasn't right.

"The cops don't suspect anything about Dylan Bennett, do they?" he asked suddenly, unwinding his arm from Casey's waist to lean forward, his elbows propping against his knees automatically. She tensed uncomfortably beside him, as though offended by his rock solid attitude, but he ignored her, keeping his eyes on Andrew.

"I'm not really sure where you're going with this, D," he admitted, something that surprised Derek. It was a rare occurance when he managed to stump brilliant, genius Andrew Wallace. Nonetheless, having to explain his suspicions probably wasn't worth that small taste of victory that had coursed through him only moments before. He hated long explanations.

Derek glanced towards Terrence half hopefully, but was disappointed to find that even his enemy had not grasped the concept that he was trying to convey.

Casey's lips pressed tightly together, and she folded her arms across her chest as Derek leaned back against the couch. He only spared her a moment of his interest, for he knew that she was trying to make some sort of a statement against him, now. He had a feeling that some slight damage control would be required tonight, but he would deal with that when the time came. Her anger was nothing that a kiss or two couldn't fix.

Well, _his_ kisses anyway.

Fighting back an egotistical smirk, he glanced between each of the men before him, his expression serious. "All I'm saying is that it all seems a little weird to me."

Terrence raised a brow, hesitant. "Define weird."

Derek shrugged a shoulder, trying his best to sound off-hand, casual even.

"I just think it's funny, how we're getting two different stories from everyone," he explained, before turning to Andrew. "Your friend, the cop. The one you called about twenty minutes ago. He told us that there were reports of the kid's car being in the driveway, only five minutes before the fire."

Andrew's eyes narrowed, and he shrugged a shoulder, expression unchanging. "That doesn't mean anything, Derek. It could just mean he was inside the house when it happened, or he had gone for a walk, or-"

"His car was gone, by the time the firefighters got there," Derek interjected, before Andrew could spit anymore possibilites at him. "If both stories are true, and the car really was there before the fire started, then someone took off in that car within... I dunno, a span of fifteen minutes or less. Somewhere between the start of the fire, and the time that the firefighters arrived."

Andrew, a private investigator himself, caught on immediately now, and the confusion that had been displayed in the crease of his forehead instantly faded. He took on the same gaurded expression as Derek, before turning to Terrence, and making his own attempt at an explanation.

"That means that either Dylan, or someone else took off in that car pretty quick," he suggested, before turning to Casey, still frowning. "Do you get it?"

Derek snuck a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, and while she was still giving him the cold shoulder, she had enough decency to give the tiniest of nods, her eyes travelling back and forth between each man, as though she was unsure of her theory.

"You're saying that... that Dylan got out of there alive, or someone just needed a quick escape."

Derek nodded darkly, and he reached into his pocket as his cellphone started vibrating, indicating that he had an incoming call.

"It could've been a bit of both," he admitted, and when he glanced at the screen, his brow furrowed with contemplation. "I don't know this number."

Every last person in the room was suddenly fixing him with the same sort of knowing look, and he merely rolled his eyes, before hitting the speakerphone button, so that they could all hear the call.

"Hello?" he greeted, giving the others a look that clearly told them to stay quiet. "Who is this?"

There was no proper response from his caller. The most he was met with was a cruel, shrill laugh, one that was immediately followed by that voice- the voice that constantly haunted Derek's every nightmare. That voice was tattooed on his brain by now, and he could not escape the burning feeling that this was a known enemy, this was someone he was supposed to hate.

"Keep those girls tight, D," the man drawled, sounding amused more than anything else. "Time's running out. You may have protected them so far, but I won't stand for your little game of hide and seek for much longer."

There was a pause, and despite the tension between them, Derek's hand automatically reached for Casey's. He was perched on the edge of the couch, so he had to reach behind him to find her hand, and it was not a concious effort for her to slip her fingers between his, giving his palm a gentle squeeze.

"You're a sick freak," Derek muttered, his mouth dry with panic. "You're a psycho."

Shrill laughter met his ears, and he cringed as the man spoke up again, his voice sneering, taunting, even approving.

"I've been told that before," he bragged, obviously pleased with himself. "I'm glad you think I'm fair competition, Venturi. Keeps the game more interesting, doesn't it?"

If he'd had a free hand, it would've been through the wall by now. That sneering mockery, that casual, snide drawl- it made him want to be sick. How was it possible to hate someone so utterly and completely, and yet not have a clue who they were?

"It's been fun, Venturi, but it won't last forever."

Terrence was focusing hard on the cellphone in Derek's hand, and his forehead was creased so much that Derek feared such hard thinking was actually causing him physical distress. Was that possible?

His moment of observation cost him a chance to respond, but he was not surprised when he heard finalization in the man's voice, signalling that their latest phone call was over.

"You're next, D-Man." he warned teasingly. "Keep those girls in good shape until I get there, alright?"

Before he could respond, the timer on the screen of his cell flashed, and faded back to the main screen.

The caller had hung up.

An eerie sort of silence hung over the room as Derek flipped his cellphone shut, tossing it haphazardly to the coffee table. It landed with a clatter, before the room fell into complete and total seclusion. Nobody spoke a word, nobody even dared to move. Whether they were shocked, or they just didn't know what to say, he didn't know. All he knew was that, if Casey was not holding onto his hand right now, he would've taken his anger on nearest available wall. Hell, with this sort of fury built up inside of him, he was almost certain that he could rip a hole through brick, if he tried.

"It's not Jake."

Nobody even looked up as Terrence spoke, but despite this, Terrence Wilson knew that every last person in the room was listening to what he had to say. And he also knew that, in some ways, this came as a disappointment. Knowing that it wasn't Jake was reassuring in some ways, but it also eliminated their only suspect, as well. If their attacker wasn't Jacob, then they were back at square one. And in a game where the stakes were so high, nobody could afford to fall behind in the slightest.

"The voice is familar, but it's not my brother," he continued, before raising his gaze to Derek's, eyes darkened. He was only a foot or two away from the man, and while Derek was aware of the proximity between them, he was slightly surprised when Terrence reached out a hand to him, a look of absolute and total defeat written across his face as Derek rose his gaze to glance at Terrence's face.

"I know I'm not your favourite person in the world," he offered shakily, his eyes looking anywhere but directly into Derek's eyes. "I've done alot of harm to you in the past, and I wouldn't blame you if you completely and totally froze me out of this thing for good. It's probably none of my business, and I know I'm one of the last people you really want around. But believe me when I say that I... I think I can help you, even if it's not Jake."

Derek eyed him suspiciously, his old instincts screaming at him to deny Terrence that opportunity, and kick the guy out then and there. If their threat wasn't Jacob Wilson, what good was Terrence to them, really?

As though reading his mind, Terrence rushed on, perhaps seeing the torn look on Derek's face.

"That voice was familiar, Derek," he repeated, sounding genuinely concerned. "I know that voice from somewhere. I can't put my finger on it, but... if I heard it again, maybe I could try and figure it out. I really think you could use the extra person, don't you?"

Derek's brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to tell Terrence to leave- to get as far away as his pathetic little legs could carry him, and never come back again. He wanted to ensure that this creep never had the chance to trick Casey into anything again, and that he would not end up getting backstabbed, in the end. He'd faced too much of that the first time around to even owant to risk making such a mistake for a second time.

But just as the words formed on his lips, he felt Casey's hand twitch very slightly within his own, involuntarily. She'd probably just had an itch- nothing too big, but her movement reminded him of one good reason why he should want Terrence around- the only reason why he would want him around.

He needed all the help he could get. He couldn't run off to the cops, and telling anyone unnecessarily would be unwise, in this situation. His own brother would probably slam the door in his face, if he were to go over and try to apologize, and really, Derek wasn't really up for much quality time with his _wonderful_ brother. If he wanted to pick a fight, he'd go to Lizzie. She threw much stronger punches anyway- he felt almost guilty for hitting a wimp like Edwin.

Knowing his mind was straying too far off topic, he drew in a deep breath, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards into what was a very forced smile, one that stated clearly how he felt about this. He was bitter, and he was reluctant, but he wasn't stupid enough to throw away help when it was offered.

He did not take Terrence's hand. His eyes flickered over the limb, and he shook his head, relieved when Terrence finally met his gaze.

"You'll do whatever I say, Wilson," he demanded, not caring if he was power-tripping. "If I say for you to stop hanging around here, you will. This is temporary- a trial run, so to speak. Screw it up, or hurt my family in anyway, and there will be hell to pay. Are we clear?"

Terrence drew his hand back, slight disappointment in his eyes, but a grateful half-smile displayed on his lips as he gave the tiniest of nods.

"Clear as crystal."

* * *

**So I am going to start leaving space at the end of every chapter to answer any questions you guys may have. If you have any question about the story, or the characters, anything at all, just ask me, and I'll post the question and a response in the ending author's note, just to clear up some confusion. **

**In the meantime, go to my profile page to see the banner I have created for Through the Haze. If you want to see the bigger version, just PM me, since it's fairly small. Reviews inspire me to update! :) Review numbers have been down lately, which generally saddens me ! Comments? Suggestions?**


	13. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Confrontations**

By ten o'clock that night, their daughter should have been fast asleep, especially since she had been awake since seven o'clock that morning. It would only follow logic that she would be tired. After all, she was only five, and she had been awake for fifteen hours now. She should be falling over with exhaust right now, correct?

Fat chance.

"Daddy!" Rebecca giggled, as Derek pinned her down against Casey's usual side of the bed, one arm draped lightly across her stomach, the other locking her hands together above her head. Her face was bright red with physical exertion as she grinned happily up at him, the gaps from her missing teeth making her smile a whole lot cuter than it already was.

"Mommy says you're not allowed to tickle me," she reminded him, her body still tense, as though she knew that her father could start tickling her again at any given second. "She said I get too hyper, remember?"

Derek flashed her his most charming grin, his eyes gleaming mischeviously as he shrugged the comment away, seemingly unphased.

"Your mother thinks alot of crazy things, remember?" he reminded her, his voice teasing. "Sometimes she even thinks she's cooler than me. Can you believe that?"

Becca's eyes locked with her father's, and for a brief moment, she looked hesitant. The question had been rhetorical, so he was extremely surprised when she actually responded to him. He was even more surprised when the pride in her voice was for her mother, instead of her father.

"Mommy _is_ cooler than you, Daddy. And smarter, too."

His smile faded into a frown, and he was left staring at his daughter with an offended look on his face. His brow was furrowed with mock-confusion, and the hand that was locking hers together uncurled, pressed suddenly over his chest, mimicking shock.

"That hurts, Beck," he said, trying his best to sound serious. "There's really only one thing that will make me feel better, right about now."

Rebecca looked cautious, and there were traces of uncertainty in her eyes as she watched her father, waiting for this explanation. When she said nothing, Derek's frown shifted instantly into a smirk, and he released his hold on her, going instantly for her sides.

"Tickling you until you tell the truth, that's what!" he cried, as she burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. She thrashed back and forth against the mattress beneath her, her brown hair weaving into a mess of tangles as she struggled to escape her father's unusual punishment.

"Daddy, stop it!" she giggled, obviously enjoying herself, despite her pleas for him to stop.

Derek's grin only grew wider, and he continued his assault on her ribs, knowing how ticklish she was there, on both sides. She had definitely inherited Casey's ticklish tendency, something that Derek often took to his own advantage.

"Tell me who's_ really_ cooler," he demanded of her, as her face turned even more crimson than before. She struggled for air, and he slowed down his tickling a tiny bit, not wanting her to get so worked up that she would be unable to breathe. Casey had suffered asthma as a little girl, and Rebecca had been known to have her own minor attacks, from time to time.

"It'll be a whole lot easier on you if you just- _whoah_!"

He had been unable to finish his sentence, before he had felt hands pressing against his chest, and pushing him back onto the bed. He fell lazily against the soft, white pillows, taking only a moment to recognize the form of his girlfriend standing at the foot of their bed. She had a hand placed on her hip, and she looked from a sheepish looking Derek, to a panting Rebecca. Both were out of breath and red-faced, and by the state of Rebecca's hair, she knew exactly what had happened.

"What did I tell you about getting her worked up before bed?" she asked, before extending a hand to her daughter, her eyes fixed narrowly on Derek.

"Come on, Beck- time for bed," she ordered, and perhaps the little girl was more tired than she was letting on, for she did not bother to argue with her mother. She was still smiling as she brushed her hair away from her face, the messy strands sticking out all over the place. She turned to face her father, grinning happily at her father.

Derek winked at her, propping himself up on two elbows in an attempt to turn himself away from Casey's glares. He managed to keep his eyes focused on his daughter as she automatically fell into his arms for her routine goodnight hug. Her tiny arms wound around her father's neck, and the feel of her tiny heartbeat against his chest was enough to inspire him to hold her tighter, his eyes squeezing tightly shut as he held the side of her head, kissing her hair softly.

"Love you, baby girl," he reminded her, his voice gentle now. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

He felt her nod against his head, and he pressed one more kiss against her forehead before pulling back, allowing her mother to take her hand, and lead her from the room.

He waited patiently while Casey put Rebecca to bed. Trying to get the little girl ready was often quite a lengthy ordeal, and he was not surprised to find that fifteen minutes had passed, when Casey finally stepped inside the bedroom again. Her steps were quiet and graceful, and she glanced out the door behind her, pushing the door gently closed, though leaving a small crack in case Rebecca tried to get to them in the night.

They had been fighting earlier that night, he fully understood that. Well, it wasn't as much fighting as it was bitterness, and ignorance of the other's presence. During the duration of Terrence's stay, Derek had persistantly been a jerk, even if it wasn't completely obvious that he was trying, and Casey had ignored every last jibe that he made at Terrence, or at herself. He had figured that they would be okay by the time they went to bed, but as he watched her cross the room to stand in front of their dresser mirror, he sensed that they were not okay- not yet anyway.

Casey had her back turned to him, though he could see her face etched clearly across the reflection in the mirror. She studied her own reflection deliberately slow as she began to remove all of her jewellery, beginning with her rings. She took them off one by one, and he could have sworn that her eyes travelled towards his reflection every couple of seconds. She would look away when she saw him looking back, but he knew that she didn't want to argue anymore than he did.

Sighing, he pushed himself up off of the bed, his feet landing easily on the floor. He could only hope that he had read her expression correctly, but he took his chances anyway, and came to an abrupt and deliberate stop directly behind her. His eyes travelled up her back nervously, past her shoulders, and finally to her reflection in the mirror, where her curious blue eyes were staring meaningfully into his own. There was so much hesitation in her gaze that he had to wonder if she even wanted him to make a move on her, but a larger part of him understood that he was the man, and he would have to suck it up either way. He wasn't going to sit here all night and have her ignore him, nor was he willing to fight with her any longer. Their time was too precious, too unmeasured for him to take risks like that with her.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly took the final step towards her, pressing his chest firmly against her back as he wound his strong, toned arms around her petite waist. He heard the small hitch in her throat as she tensed against his chest, but her surprise only cost her a moment of pause. It didn't take much for her to relax into his hold, leaning easily into his arms as she kept her focus on removing her bracelet.

Placing his chin against her shoulder, he nudged her head gently with his cheek, forcing her to look into the mirror at her own reflection. When she did so, she saw the dazed look at Derek was fixing her with, and she watched him patiently, waiting for him to say something.

"You look beautiful tonight," he commented, not an ounce of dishonesty to his voice. A steady blush rose in her cheeks, and he unwound a single arm from her waist, reaching up to push her hair away from her face, letting it flow easily over her shoulders. She watched his every action carefully, and she smiled sadly when he returned his arm tight around her waist, their eyes meeting in the mirror as he held her close.

"Thank you for trying, but it's not like there's much point looking pretty around here," she commented, and when he tilted his head, confused, she rushed on.

"All I'm saying is that... well, if I'm not leaving the house, why should I bother to make myself look pretty? Nobody's going to see me besides you guys."

Derek instantly got that feeling- the one that told him he was doing something wrong, and yet something necessary, all at once. He understood that Casey felt trapped, and he knew that she probably hated being holed up inside their house day in and day out. She was on her third day of complete solitude from the rest of the town, and he knew that it could not be easy on her. He had fully expected that she would go a little bit stir crazy, after the first couple of days had passed. She was a very tolerable girl at most occurances, but three days cooped up at home would be enough to drive just about anyone insane.

"You don't have to try to look pretty," he said, in an obvious attempt to make her feel better. "You're one of those girls who looks gorgeous without even lifting a finger. Always have been."

Casey chuckled at Derek's comment, placing her hands delicately over his against her stomach. Their eye contact never broke as he tilted his head slightly, lowering his lips gently to her neck. He saw the instant bliss in her eyes as she tilted her head against his touch, her eyes fluttering shut as he paused, lips lingering on her neck as something occured to him.

"I bet Terrence wishes he could hold you like this," he commented, half joking, half bitter. Casey's eyes opened up at that comment, and she watched him anxiously as he continued, shrugging.

"I saw the looks he fixed you with, Case," he said truthfully, unable to stop the slight cringe that passed his features. "The guy's always had a way of undressing you with his eyes, and I don't like it anymore now than I did seven years ago. I think his stupid little crush is just ridiculous, to be honest."

Casey raised an eyebrow now, tilting her head away from Derek's as she frowned at him, obvious disapproval in her eyes.

"Terrence doesn't have a crush on me," she tried to tell him, but Derek only laughed as he shook his head, fully prepared to argue against that statement.

"Every guy is an instant threat, Case," he murmered, his eyes darkening slightly as he held her a bit closer to his chest. "There's not a many guys I know who wouldn't love a chance to get a girl like you wrapped around their finger. You're absolutely gorgeous, babe."

He saw the mixture of flattery and hesitance in her eyes, and he rolled his own eyes at her, knowing exactly what was giving her pause here.

Only Casey.

"None of them could ever want you for the same reasons as me though," he assured her, with one gentle kiss to her neck. "None of them know as much about you as I do."

The hesitance on her face melted away almost instantly, and she leaned her head back against his firm shoulder, their gazes still locked in the mirror as she gave him a little half-smile.

"Oh yeah?" she challenged, her voice amused. "And what exactly do you know about me, Venturi?"

Derek smirked, pressing his cheek to the side of her head as he ran his thumb across the back of her wrist, their hands still resting together against her stomach.

"Better yet, what _don't _I know?" he asked her, knowing that she would agree with him. "I know every last one of your little quirks, Ms. McDonald."

Casey snorted with disbelief, before turning in his hold, her chest pressing against his as she wound her arms around his neck. His eyes were trained steadily on her face, and he managed a small smile as he tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer.

"I don't tell you this enough, but I love you, Case," he murmered, his survival instincts telling him to up the romance, if there was going to be an ex-boyfriend in her life. He usually avoided being overly romantic and mushy, but he did have his moments. He loved her, and she deserved to know that. And with Terrence back in the picture, well... it was best if he acted like the best boyfriend possible.

And by the smile that rested against her lips now, he knew that she had no complaints with him getting mushy on her. Her only response to his comment was a soft smile, and a quick peck against the lips. He hadn't had much alone time with her at all that day, so the feel of her soft lips against his own was like heaven to him. He could not keep the smile off of his face as she ran a hand casually through his messy hair, grinning.

"Somehow, I love you too," she laughed, raising an eyebrow at him. "You know, despite that big head of yours."

The corners of his mouth quirked, and he felt his pride swell. "You love my big head, babe. Always have. It's one of my many _amazing_ features."

Casey laughed gently, her eyes amused as she nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, it must go along with your incredible good looks, and your undeniable charm, right?"

The smirk never left Derek's lips as he raised an eyebrow in approval of her comments.

"I see you're catching on," he noted, and when she rolled her eyes, he merely continued. "Throw in 'insanely hot', and 'completely amazing' and we've got ourselves a winner. Congrats, Case; you might just win a prize, or something."

Her only response was an amused eyeroll, and he knew by the small smile on her lips that she found his pig-headedness to be cute, at times like this.

Sighing, he pulled himself away from her, the ghost of a smile still lingering against his lips.

"You know, about this baby you're having," he started, throwing himself onto the bed backwards. "We never did discuss it much."

Casey was completely silent as her hands tugged on the ends of her tank top, pulling it down further over her body. It came down over the top of her jeans for a moment, before the elastic failed, and slowly rolled back up above her waistline, revealing a tan sliver of skin just above the band of her jeans. She was biting her lower lip almost nervously as she examined her appearance in the mirror, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her eyes in an attempt to avoid his gaze.

Derek frowned, his protective instinct kicking in almost instantly. He did not trust the look in her eyes at all, and he knew that there had to be something on her mind- something she wasn't telling him about.

"Case?" he questioned, tilting his head to the right. "What is it?"

She continued to stare at her reflection in an attempt to avoid him, but there was something different in her eyes now. Something that suggested, despite her lack of contribution to this conversation, she had heard every word that he had said to her, and she definitely had an opinion on it.

"Come on, Case," he said, trying to keep his voice free from worry. "Any other time, I'd be begging for you to shut up. There's obviously something on your mind, and I want to know what it is."

He paused, a thought occuring to him.

"Is there something wrong with the baby?"

She must have sensed the natural panic in his voice, for she immediately shook her head, turning away from the mirror so that she could face him on the bed. His worried eyes locked with her apologetic ones, and she shook her head once more, frowning slightly.

"No, there's nothing wrong with the baby," she assured him, and when he still looked unconvinced, she tried again. "Really, Derek. I'd tell you if there was something wrong with the baby, I promise. I wouldn't keep something that big from you."

Some of his worry melted away, and he relaxed very slightly, relieved that he would not have to worry about the life of his unborn son or daughter. But some of the tension remained welled up within his muscles, and he swallowed hard, fixing her with a knowing look. Her eyes never left his, and after what felt like a century of waiting, she rolled her eyes, sighing as she took a seat on the bed next to him.

"Fine," she sighed, obviously wishing that he could not read her so well. She rested both arms against her knees, leaning forwards slightly as Derek pulled himself up next to her, situating himself against the edge of the bed as well. His hand instinctively found its way to the small of her back, and he let it rest there easily as he smiled as best as he could, giving a single nod.

"Go ahead," he encouraged, unable to stop the anxiety flowing through his veins. "Tell me what's wrong."

She was hesitant for only a moment longer. Her eyes, which had been fixed on the floor for the past several seconds, suddenly raised to meet his gaze, and he was surprised when he saw the hurt and embarassment mixed together in the depths of her crystalline, blue orbs. He held back a cringe, for he could not stand to see her so obviously upset, but he somehow managed to put up with it long enough before she started to speak.

"Yesterday afternoon, while you were out with that client of yours, we went out for a little while."

Derek's eyes flashed with panic at this confession, but Casey quickly rushed on, wrapping her hand gently around his knee in an attempt to comfort him.

"Andrew came with us, and we only went as far as the mall," she said, as his eyes continued to flicker with obvious discomfort. "Rebecca was really antsy to get out of the house, and I asked Andrew if we could just stop into the mall, so I could pick out a few things."

Derek's mind flashed back to his daughter's good behaviour the night before, and he wanted to slap himself for not seeing this sooner. Rebecca would normally be bouncing off the walls, if she had been holed up inside the house all day. And while she had been fairly active by bedtime, she had remained good as gold throughout the larger portion of the evening. He should've realized that some time outside their house must have been granted to her.

"I can't believe Andrew let you guys out of the house," he seethed, his eyes narrowed against the maple coloured dresser drawers. His hand tensed against her back, and he clenched his free hand into a fist as he shook his head with disbelief.

"I'm really starting to reconsider leaving him here with you at all," he muttered, obviously distraught by this new revelation. "First, you get attacked while he's home with you. Then I come home to find a criminal enemy sitting in my living room, and now I find out he went against my wishes, and let you leave the house? What's wrong with that guy?"

Casey stiffened slightly, obviously realizing what she had done. Casey hated to be the cause of drama, and to know that she was causing trouble between Derek and his best friend...

"It's not what it seems like, okay?" she tried, sounding desperate now. "The break-in wasn't Andrew's fault, and he put up a good fight with Terrence before he finally let him in. He's not a complete idiot."

Some of the panic in Derek's eyes faded at this, but when he still looked unconvinced, she continued hastily.

"I don't want you telling Andrew I told you about any of this," she admitted, a slight blush to her cheeks as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I promised him not to tell you that he let us leave, but I can't tell you what happened unless I admit to being out of the house, so..."

Something in Derek's mind registered that he should argue with her against that. Who was she to tell him that he couldn't call Andrew out on a lie? He had told his best friend not to let the girls leave unless it was absolutely necessary, and Andrew had gone against his wishes because Casey wanted to go to the mall? Because Rebecca was overhyped? Casey was a wardrobe addict, and Rebecca was a sugar magnet- what more had he expected? The guy had to show more backbone than _that_.

But on the other hand, he recognized something even more important, something that had not occured to him yet.

"So that wasn't what you had to tell me?" he questioned, deciding to push his anger towards Andrew aside for the moment. "I thought lying to me about leaving the house _was_ what was bugging you?"

If possible, Casey blushed even more, and she removed her hand from her boyfriend's knee, shaking her head shamefully. Her eyes were fixed steadily against the floor, and when she spoke, her voice was so low that he could barely comprehend what she was saying.

"I ran into a few of our old friends at the mall," she admitted, being sure not to raise her head to look at him. "Kendra and her fiance were there, and that ex-boyfriend of Sally's was there too. What's his name again?"

"Patrick," Derek said easily, not even bothered at the mention of his ex-girlfriend.

Casey nodded, and she found the courage to raise her gaze to his for a moment, forcing a smile.

"Patrick, right," she commented, and when he did not respond, her smile faltered, and she continued. "Anyway, I was telling them about the baby, and... something they said, it sort of got to me."

Derek's mind instantly generated thousands of possibilites. The first of the possibilites- the most instinctive and natural- was the stepsibling card. They had faced enough criticism over the years to know that some people just couldn't get past the idea of stepsiblings having this sort of a relationship- having kids, having a family life.

But Derek reminded himself that they had been in touch with Patrick once or twice over the years, and that Kendra was already one of their decently good friends. Why would either of them say anything against their relationship?

Drawing a blank, he frowned, shrugging one shoulder casually.

"I don't get it," he admitted, clueless. "What did they say that was so bad?"

Casey turned to him again, and this time, there was not a single ounce of embarassment in her eyes. Whatever had been causing her distress before had apparantly dissolved into complete and total courage, and her gaze looked only determined, and hopeful as she fixed him with a pointed look.

"They told me that it's about time me and you got married," she said, obvious resentment in her voice. "They were joking, of course, but alot of the things they said make sense to me, Derek."

He felt panic wash over him, and his entire body seemed to rigid with stress as he caught sight of that look in her eyes- the one that hinted she was about to go off on one of her stupid lectures. He could usually handle her speeches about how much of an idiot he was, or about how he needed to respect her more, but the marriage card was something that he had learned to avoid like the plague.

"I'm pregnant with your second child, Derek," she reminded him, an obvious note of hurt in her voice as she raised her eyebrows at him. "When I was pregnant with Rebecca, everyone expected us to announce an engagement almost immediately. I can't tell you how many people asked me how long it would be until we got married."

He turned away then, moving his hand from her back as he entwined his hands in front of him, staring at them blankly. He could not look her in the eye, and see how much disappointment he was installing there. He could not bear to see how much this was hurting her, right now.

"I know you love me, and I know that you're not trying to hurt me, but there's times that I wonder..."

She trailed off for a moment, as though unsure of whether or not she should finish that statement, and Derek's muscles stiffened as he closed his eyes, waiting for the words that he knew would sting. He pressed his hands tightly together, waiting anxiously.

And then he heard it. That quick intake of breath that signalled that she was preparing herself for the worst, that she knew that her words would spring an argument almost instantly.

"I have to wonder sometimes, if you want this just as much as I do," she admitted, her words rushed and sloppy. "Sometimes, I think maybe you don't want to make this final, because you're not sure if that's something you want."

And that did it. Every muscle in his body sprang to life, every ounce of adrenaline pulsed through his veins. His mind raced, and he could feel every nerve-ending in his body act instinctively, as though on fire.

And then, oh so predictably, he did what he always did. He opened his mouth, and he let the idiot inside of him truly let loose.

"Did it ever occur to you that it's absolutely none of your business?" he spat out, his face blood red with anger as he jumped up, hovering over her dangerously. Her eyes met with his fearfully, and she leaned away from him as he shook before her, obviously enraged. He knew that he was scaring her, and he knew that his outburst was completely uncalled for, but the anger inside of him would not let him stop now. He needed her to back off; he needed her to forget about this whole marriage concept, and just accept the fact that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Derek, I..."

"Maybe it hasn't occured to you, _Princess_, that not everybody wants to marry a pushy, annoying keener like you!"

And with that, he had turned on one heel, and stormed from the room. His entire body felt like it was on fire- he could literally feel every last whisper of air that came into contact with his skin as he brushed out of the doorway, grabbing a pillow from the armchair in the corner of the bedroom as he went. Like hell he was going to go back upstairs, tonight. He fully intended on crashing on the couch, and falling into an uneasy, and uncomfortable sleep for the night. He may never get to sleep down there, but truthfully, he didn't care. He just couldn't go back to her tonight.

Not because he was angry with her, no. Not even because he knew that she would be angry with him. Honestly, he understood that she had every right in the world to be angry with him. He'd think she was crazy, if she didn't feel even the slightest hint of resentment towards him, for that comment.

No, he could not face her tonight. Because he knew that past all of the anger, and past the intial shock of his words, he had hurt her. His words would have caused more pain than anything else, and to look her in the eye, and know that he had struck her so deeply?

Derek closed his eyes tightly as he turned towards the living room window, his back twisted uncomfortably beneath him against the couch.

He could not return to her tonight. To be honest, he felt as though he didn't even deserve her, right now.

And maybe he didn't.

- - - -

The next morning ran rather smoothly. Derek was home with the girls for the majority of the morning, and while he had tried to dedicate himself to his office work, he just couldn't find it in him to stay cooped up, all day long. He had been trying his hardest to stay locked in his office, where he could actually concentrate on his work, but it was mostly Rebecca's persistance that had kept him from doing so.

Rebecca was in one of her hyper modes today, despite her lack of sleep the night before. She had woken up promptly at eight thirty that morning, and she had been a tiny ball of energy ever since. She was in and out of the backyard- under Andrew's watch, of course, and she had successfully knocked over both of her parent's cups of coffee, in a succession of three minutes. She had ran laps around the house, built a tower out of her old tinker toys, until her mother had finally convinced her to drain some of her energy in their backyard pool.

So now he found himself seated on their back patio, which was levelled a good three or four feet off of the ground. He was seated comfortably in one of the padded metal chairs, which matched the glass table before him, rimmed with black metal. His case folders were stacked neatly in a chair next to him, while the contents of his focused case folder were scattered haphazardly across the glass tabletop. He was writing up a summary report for a case that he had closed that morning, thanking the heavens that he had one less problem on his mind now. He tended to limit himself to three cases at a time, which left him with only one other case to close, until he could focus primarily on Matthew's case, along with his own. He didn't really have many people on a waiting list currently- nothing that Andrew could not handle sufficiently, and he knew that it would not be a big deal for him to keep himself limited, until this whole mess was cleared up. He'd keep himself available for any serious cases, but for anything minor, he was willing to lose the business, and refer them to another investigator. His family's safety was not worth the loyalty of one or two customers.

Derek sighed heavily as he tilted his head back against the metal rim of his chair, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he waited desperately for the slightest trickle of cool air to breeze past his face. It was warm today- a toasty thirty three degrees, and with the humidity as high as it was, the humidex had shot right up to thirty nine. Throw in the fact that there was rarely a trace of a breeze, and the heat became nearly unbearable. His tshirt was pasted to his back already, and damp strands of hair fell around his forehead in a warm curtain.

Sighing, he raised his glass of lemonade to his lips, taking the straw gently between his teeth for a moment. He watched as his little girl splashed around in their built in pool, smiling contently as she pulled herself up onto her pink and white striped float.

"How's the water, Beck?" he called casually, his voice laced with fatigue as he eyed the water enviously. Oh, how he wished he could join her in there. The gentle blue shimmer of the chlorine-filled water called to him like some sort of intricate song, made just for him. He could just imagine how nice the cool water would feel against his warm back.

"It's nice and cool," Becca noted, splashing the water on either side of the float for emphasis. "You and Mommy should come swim with me."

Derek wanted with all his heart to agree, and to go and pull Casey right out into the backyard with them. He would absolutely love to go for a nice, long swim right now, but he knew that he would regret it later, when his workload was still sitting teasingly atop his desk. Aside from that, Casey hadn't spoken to him all morning. She had not bothered to wake him when she had gotten up, and when she had cooked breakfast for Rebecca and herself, she had not bothered to include him, in the meal.

He couldn't say he blamed her. He had been a huge jerk the night before, and he could admit to that.

Smiling sadly, he shook his head, tapping his pen impatiently against the tabletop.

"Sorry," he told her, hoping that he sounded sincere. "Daddy's got alot of work to get done, and Mommy's inside reading. Maybe we'll go for a swim later tonight, alright?"

He could sense the disappointment in his daughter's eyes, but she was mature for her age, so her only response was a nod of the head, and a quick;

"Okay Daddy."

Derek sighed, turning back to his paper work with a lack of committment. He knew that he should be more professional about things, but the last few days had been complete and total chaos, and working under such conditions wasn't as easy as it seemed. Work and home life could get pretty complicated, when two became one.

"Tylonel does wonders for children with fevers, PMS'ing women, men undergoing a midlife crisis..."

Derek did not raise his head to look at his friend. Instead, a grin tugged at his lips, and a soft chuckle escaped his mouth, amused.

"l'm in my twenties, Drew," he reminded his friend, amusement clear in his voice. "Mid-life crisis hardly describes this."

Andrew merely chuckled, throwing himself casually into the chair to Derek's right, his feet propping against the lower rungs of the table before him. He tilted his head to the right, squinting at the folder before Derek. When he read the label against the front of the folder, he frowned, comprehension dawning over his face immediately.

"Still working on that Leary case?"

Derek glanced down towards the table, surprise written across his features. He had not realized that he had switched the folder, and that he was now staring at a closed folder with Matthew's name on it. He had made no concious decision to switch back to Matt's case, but rather than look like an idiot, he played along, nodding his head.

"Yeah," he fibbed easily, nodding subtly. "He's meeting me again tomorrow, and I think we're gonna have all of this cleared up by the end of the week. He wants to catch this guy as soon as possible. He's afraid that the threats are gonna start getting worse pretty soon. This guy's already calling her almost everyday. I can't say I blame Matthew for wanting to get this creep out of the way. If one of Casey's ex-boyfriends was sticking their nose into things like that, I'd be beyond annoyed too."

Something that he said had triggered Andrew's amusement, and suddenly the man was raising an eyebrow at him, as though searching for something within Derek's features.

"Speaking of creepy ex-boyfriends," he said, with a nod towards the house. "Did you know psycho ex is behind door number one?"

Derek grimaced at Andrew's stab at humor, knowing that his best friend was just trying to lighten the mood of things, to make things seem less dire. And while he appreciated Andrew's light sense of humor, he wasn't exactly in the mood for jokes.

"Nice try, Drew," he complimented, with a classic eye roll. "Maybe if that ex-boyfriend was anyone but Terrence, I'd be able to laugh that off. But the thought of _him_ back in her life..." he trailed off for a moment, shaking his head with obvious distaste. "It disgusts me, that she'll trust him that easily. He pretty much destroyed her, for the longest time after she'd gotten out of hospital. Even when me and her were together, it was like she didn't exactly trust me as much as she could. I think her theory was that she'd trusted him, and he'd let her down- big time. She's finally recovered from all of that, and if he comes back into her life now and wrecks that..."

"What if he doesn't?" Andrew challenged, and when he caught sight of the look in Derek's eyes, he quickly rushed on. "I mean, I'm not saying I disagree with you. I saw what his betrayal did to Casey, and I know it couldn't have been easy on either of you, to know that he had backstabbed you."

Derek kept his eyes fixed on the table in front of him, sensing one of Andrew's many "life lessons." He had been friends with the guy long enough that there was a "but" creeping up here somewhere.

"But," Andrew continued, and Derek had to fight back a smile at his best friend's inevitability. "He helped you guys out in the end, Derek. He saw wrong from right, and he did what it took to make sure his brothers got what they deserved."

"So he betrayed them," Derek dismissed, shrugging. "Either way, it's pretty clear that he's not the most reliable guy around. Swapping sides everytime your team is down on their luck doesn't exactly go hand in hand with loyalty now, does it?"

Andrew looked momentarily hesitant, as though he had not thought of this before. Derek waited with bated breath, hoping that maybe someone finally saw eye to eye with him, on this one. He was absolutely sick of everyone assuming that backstabbing, betraying Terrence had somehow turned into a saint, overnight.

But true to his subconcious suspicions, Andrew threw a casual shrug at his best friend, dismissing the point as though it had never been addressed.

"His past might be streaked with betrayals, but he's all we've got, Derek."

His fist clenched around the hem of his two-shade green shirt then, and he felt his jaw tighten with stress. Yeah, he knew deep down that Terrence really was their only hope right about now, but did Andrew really have to remind him of that? It was bad enough that Casey's ex- a direct enemy- had to be involved; he didn't need his supposed friends rubbing that in.

"I know he's all we have, okay?" he muttered, his breathing uneven as he struggled to keep his cool. He raised his head towards the sunlight, squinting at the narrow beams angrily. "But just because I've let him help us out on this, doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. I fully intend on using my protest rights, on this one."

Andrew raised a brow at his friend's choice of words, looking amused.

"So your relationship with Casey comes with protest rights, now?" he questioned, the slightest hint of mockery in his voice. "Wow. I wonder what Casey would think of that."

No sooner had he spoken, than he caught sight of an empty pool, one completely void of the five year old girl that had been swimming there happily, only moments before. The water was completely smooth and calm, interrupted only by the gentle swaying of one of her pool toys, floating lazily against the water's surface.

Panicking, Derek shot up out of his seat, the chair falling to the deck with a clatter behind him.

"Rebecca," he choked out, not bothering to pick up the chair as he launched himself over the top of the patio's gate, too impatient to actually stop and undo the latch. He heard Andrew call out from behind him, something along the lines of 'what's wrong?', but he completely ignored his friend as he propelled himself towards the back gate, which hung open easily, leading much too dangerously towards the front of the house.

As he neared the gate, he caught sight of the top of someone's head over the top of the fence. Brown hair, tall... a boy, by the looks of it. And by the sound of the voice that floated over the gate, he would suppose that this person was no older than eighteen. His voice still definitely had a little bit of developing left to do.

"Just get inside, okay kid? That's all I'm telling you."

Before he could even properly prepare himself, Derek had thrown himself towards the unlocked back gate, which instantly connected with the body of the teenage boy on the other side. The boy- who Derek saw now could not be any older than sixteen, much less eighteen, was thrown instantly to the ground, his head connecting roughly with the black pavement that he had previously been standing on.

Rebecca, dressed still in her pink and white bathing suit, let out a frightened squeal, jumping immediately behind Andrew, who had appeared at Derek's feet only moments later. As he pushed the five year old behind him, away from this potentially dangerous stranger, he took in the sight before him, watching as his best friend picked himself up off of the ground, ignoring the blood that trickled from the freshly revealed cut on his arm.

Before anyone really knew what was going on, Derek had reached down, grasping the teenage boy by the collar of his red and black skateboard hoodie. The boy's eyes were suddenly filled with fear as Derek slammed him hard against the side of the house, breathing ragged as he dug a knee dangerously into the kid's stomach. Andrew wanted to warn him to mind his temper, but he knew that it was no use. Once Derek's anger took free reign, there was really no persuading him otherwise. There would be no use in reminding Derek that this boy was barely a teenager, too young to try and fight back at all. The fear in the boy's eyes- barely visible beneath his straight brown hair- suggested that he was quite inexperienced with this type of physical confrontation, but Derek took no notice of that as he tightened his grip against the boy's collar, eyes flashing dangerously.

"What the hell is the matter with you, huh?" he sneered, voice dangerously low as he searched the other boy's eyes, searching for some sort of response. "Come on, answer me tough guy! Just who do you think you are, ordering my daughter around like that?"

The kid's hair blew away from his face then, revealing the most stunning set of eyes that Derek had ever seen, in a teenage boy. They shone bright blue, shimmering with something that Derek could not quite pinpoint- pain, nostalgia? It was something much more than the pain that had lingered there before. How could such young eyes hold such obvious frustration?

"The name's Dylan Bennett," the boy said, his voice dropping a few notches at the confession. "I believe you knew my father."

* * *

**Only ten reviews on the last chapter. Seriously, if you want me to continue, please review. I appreciate the contributions of those of you actually reviewing, but the reviews keep getting lower and lower, and that doesn't encourage me much, when I'm working to get out a new chapter. **

**Anyway, review, and check out the banners for this story. The first one shows; Derek, Andrew, Becca, Dylan, Terrence, and Casey. The second shows some symbolism, so pay attention. Just put the h t t p/ there, and take out the spaces. **

**pics. livejournal. com/sydneylee06/pic/000033ka**

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	14. Irony

**Read the author's note at the end. It contains important information about the next few chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's sad really. **

**Chapter Fourteen: Irony**

Silence hung in the muggy, warm air as Derek released his hold on Dylan slightly, his eyes wide with both suspicion and shock. The entire world thought Dylan to be dead right now- killed in the same tragic blaze that had taken the lives of his mother and father. And while no real proof of Dylan's death had been found, it was still a major shock to see the kid standing here, right in front of him.

"You're Bennett's son?" Derek asked, his eyes searching Dylan's face for any sort of resemblance. Honestly, Derek had only come into contact with Judge Bennett once or twice over the years, and while he respected the guy to no end, he could not recall every last feature to mind, when he thought of the guy. A natural instinct was trying to tell him that this kid had his father's eyes, and perhaps the same hair colour, but he could not be one hundred percent certain on the details. It had been a good year and a half since he'd seen Bennett last.

"Let him go, Derek," came a voice from behind, which he instantly recognized as Andrew's. "That's his son, we've met before."

Derek merely grunted in response, but did not let go of Dylan's collar as the kid's eyes travelled over his shoulder, to the slightly taller, equally built man behind Derek. Some sort of recognition crossed his features, and he looked slightly less threatened as he sent a nod in Andrew's direction, as though hoping for some sort of alliance, here.

"Andrew," he greeted, and when the man put up no argument about the boy's greeting, Derek loosened his hold on him, allowing his hand to drop free from the kid's collar, and grab onto his wrist. He removed his knee from Dylan's stomach, before searching him up and down, as though he thought the kid was going to pull a gun on him, at any given second.

"Tell me why you were bossing my kid around, if you're really not trying to start trouble."

Dylan managed to use his free hand to brush a few stray blades of grass off of his black and red hoodie, before looking back up at Derek, his eyes honest and genuine.

"I was trying to tell her to get back inside," he explained, with a nod towards the little girl standing behind Andrew. Derek spared a single glance towards his sheepish looking daughter, before immediately turning back to Dylan, not wanting to allow the kid any chance to escape.

"I was trying to come by and talk to you, but then I saw her trying to get out the back gate, and I sort of got sidetracked with trying to stop her."

Panic washed over Derek, and he released Dylan immediately, turning his gaze upon the little girl behind him, who was clutching onto the back of Andrew's jacket fearfully, as though she was aware of how much she had just upset her father. Her eyes were wide as she cringed, waiting for the reaction she knew her father was likely to have, to this piece of information.

Knowing that she was fearful, Derek toned down the anger in his eyes, before speaking up, unable to stop the slight wavering in his voice.

"Is that true?" he asked, and when Rebecca nodded, biting on her lower lip shamefully, he took a step away from Dylan, dropping to his knees to place both hands on Rebecca's shoulders. He could feel anger practically seeping through his veins, mixing with the panic to create some other sort of emotion, more powerful and destructive than either on it's own. He felt as though he was fighting this battle alone, as if nobody else was trying to take this seriously except him.

"Why would you do that?" he asked Rebecca, unable to help the angry edge to his voice. She opened her mouth to respond, but he shook his head, releasing her so that he could press his palms against his face out of frustration. He felt his eyes squeeze shut beneath his palms, and he stood up again, wandering blindly for a couple of feet as he struggled to regain some sense of normalcy.

But the frustration inside of him welled up to an almost unbearable level, and he found himself letting out a deep growl, his hands flying away from his face as he finally let loose, and let it all out.

"Am I the only one taking this seriously anymore?" he practically yelled, his eyes falling on his daughter, and his best friend. "First, _you_ go against everything I tell you. You let Casey into the basement unsupervised, she gets attacked. You let her crazy, psycho ex-boyfriend into the house, and then I find out you let the girls leave the house to go to the mall."

Andrew's eyes averted to the ground at that, as he realized that his friend had somehow found out about their little excursion, the day before. He might have come up with some sort of explanation or apology, but it appeared that Derek was too distracted to concentrate on one person at a time, for he almost immediately turned to Rebecca, the same sort of accusation to his gaze, but not nearly as much anger.

"Then, I find out you're _still_ wandering off on your own, despite the fact that someone already tried to take you once, and despite the fact me and your mother _talked_ to you about this!"

"Derek?"

He raised his gaze towards the fence then, taking in the sight of Casey standing there, one hand clutching the gate as she peered out, confusion written all over her face.

"What's going on here?"

Dylan may have been fearful, but he surely wasn't blind. Despite his situation, he was still a normal sixteen year old boy, built to worship sports, food, and pretty women. And honestly, Casey was about as pretty as they came.

So naturally, the moment his eyes fell on Casey, he slumped down a little further against the wall, eyes wide, mouth hanging slightly. Derek caught sight of this out of the corner of his eye, and threw Dylan a murderous glaze, pointing a finger threateningly at him.

"You're already in deep enough, Bennett," he reminded him angrily, trying to make sure Dylan knew who had the power in this situation. "Don't mess with me here."

Despite her confusion, Casey's eyes widened, and she shot Derek an angry glare, shaking her head with embarassment and shock.

"Derek, he's a _kid_," she reminded him, before taking a step towards Dylan, concern written all over her features at the obvious fearful state of the boy. Derek rolled his eyes as she placed an arm carefully around Dylan's shoulders, frowning slightly.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes fixed angrily on Derek. "Don't mind him, he's just overprotective."

"Overprotective my ass," Derek muttered, as Dylan relaxed much too comfortably into Casey's hold. "He was bossing Becca around, actually. Excuse me for actually caring about our daughter."

Casey's gaze tightened on his face, and he could practically see sparks flying between them as she raised a brow coldly, her gaze challenging.

"Are you suggesting that I don't care about her?" she asked, and for the briefest of moments, no words passed between them. They stared directly into each other's eyes, both unwilling to turn away, both unsure of where to go from here. It was obvious that the tension between them was going to act as a serious roadblock here,

"Forget it," she muttered, before turning to her daughter with concern in her eyes. "Rebecca, was that what really happened? Did this boy really try and help you?"

Derek half hoped that Rebecca would deny this, just for an excuse to defy Casey, but he had to admit that he was a little bit relieved when she nodded her head, sticking her lower lip out slightly. There was fear in her eyes, as though she knew that what she had done was wrong, but she had always been an honest kid, and it was that mindset that caused her to tell the absolute truth.

"He told me to come back inside," she explained in a feeble voice. "He told me it's not safe out here."

Derek bristled then, his eyes flashing red as he shot the boy a dirty glare, his suspicions flaring up again.

"Why exactly isn't it safe out here?" he asked knowingly, raising a brow curiously. "Anything we should know about, Bennett?"

Dylan looked up at him then, quite obviously annoyed with all of the double meaning thrown in behind Derek's words. For the first time since he had arrived, Derek could actually sense that Dylan was more than frightened towards him, and he felt himself inwardly drawing back a little as Dylan glared at him, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, it just so happens that there is, Venturi," he got out snidely, as a gust of wind pushed his hair back off of his forehead. Derek was surprised by the kid's sudden confidence, but he had a good feeling that it had alot to do with the fact that he had both Casey and Andrew on his side now.

"The people that killed my parents? Yeah, they're after you too."

Almost immediately, silence enveloped the walkway, entrancing them all as they allowed the meaning of Dylan's words to sink in. The only person who didn't seem affected so strongly was Rebecca, who had no real concept of what this could possibly mean. She merely clung onto Andrew's hand shyly, her eyes flickering back and forth between each of her parents. Dylan was watching Derek, chest heaving in his struggle for air, and Derek watched him with just as much intensity, his eyes narrowed with something that nobody could really pinpoint.

His suspicions had been right. He had spent the past twenty four hours hoping, wishing and praying that this meant nothing- that the death of a former ally could have been sheer coincidence.

But here it was- living proof that, as usual, his useless theories had proved wrong. Standing in front of him was the son of a man that had failed at protecting his family- the son of a man who had been in the same situation as Derek.

And as he caught sight of Rebecca out of the corner of his eye, he could not help but hope that Dylan would be the _only_ orphan coming out of this.

- - - -

Needless to say, Derek felt horrible about everything that he had first said upon Dylan's arrival. The boy had a cut on the back of his head, which must have occured when Derek had slammed him against the side of the house. It wasn't too serious of a cut, and he hadn't noticed it until Casey had pointed out the blood on his neck. She had fixed Derek with an ashamed look at this, and while Dylan had assured him that he was fine, Derek could not help but feel guilty. The teenager had honestly tried to help Becca out, by telling her to get back inside the gate, and he had repaid him with violence and yelling?

Okay, so he could sort of understand why Casey was ignoring him. If Derek thought that their morning had been going horrible, it was nothing compared to the evening. Morning had dragged into afternoon almost uneventfully, and evening had followed easily after. He had not spoken a word to her since he had come inside, and she had given him the same sort of treatment. He had remained completely ignorant of her, speaking only to Andrew and Dylan. It wasn't that he was angry with her- it was that he just didn't want to start anything in front of their company. He knew without a doubt that she didn't exactly want to discuss their relationship problems in front of everyone.

Dylan had explained everything to them, once they'd all gone inside- out of public view. The story had been more complex than even Derek had suspected, though he knew that he should not have been surprised.

He wasn't sure who the men were, he had told Derek. There had been two- one a tall, dark haired man, and the other a blonde, with a shaved head. They had both looked to be in their early thirties, and he claimed that the blonde one had looked somewhat familiar to him. There had been no names uttered between the men. From what Dylan could remember, the men had broken down the basement door, and had made their way upstairs into the family living room. Judge Bennett and his wife had both been seated in the living room at the time, and after what had been a five minute confrontation, it was over. Two quick gunshots was all it had taken to make Dylan Bennett an orphan. An intentionally lit fire had been the only necessary component to destroying all evidence.

Dylan himself had managed to survive by climbing out through his bedroom window, and making a run towards his car while the men searched the rest of the house for other family members. He had known that his parents were already dead, and he knew that there had been no point in trying to stand up against them. He was a completely unarmed sixteen year old boy, with nothing left to try and save. His parent's would've wanted him to get as far away as he possibly could, and that was exactly what he had done. He claimed that the only thing he had taken from the very brief confrontation between the men was that these criminals were also after the Venturi family.

And so for the past day and a half, it had been Dylan's personal mission to find Derek Venturi, and warn him of his upcoming doom- the confrontation that he understood would surely happen.

By dinnertime, Andrew and Dylan had both gone, leaving the Venturis to their dinner. Andrew claimed that he had already taken out something for dinner, and Dylan had felt alot more comfortable going home with Andrew, rather than stay with a man who had threatened him upon his arrival. He appeared to hold no grudge against Derek, but it would be much easier for him to go with Andrew- a man who had two empty bedrooms sitting in his home already. He had been living on the streets for two days, doing everything in his power to land himself a connection with someone who was so obviously endangered.

At the smell of food floating up over the stairs, Derek made his way down into the kitchen, hands stuffed unceremoniously into his jeans pockets. As he paused in the doorway, he saw Casey setting two plates down on the table, next to two tall glasses of water. She had not set a place for Becca, as the little girl had eaten Kraft Dinner an hour beforehand, so he was surprised to find that she had cooked two dinners at all.

Pulling a chair back, he slid casually into a chair, hoping and praying that this would go well. He didn't want to fight with her anymore, and it would be worth it to try and get all of this sorted out now.

Casey did not meet his gaze as she pulled herself down into her own seat, lifting her fork up into her right hand. She paid no attention to her boyfriend as she took a forkful of mashed potato into her mouth, chewing quietly. His eyes were fixed on his meal almost hopefully as he offered a peace offering, lifting his fork from the table.

"Looks like food," Derek commented, poking at the creation with his fork cautiously. Frowning, he leaned forwards, inhaling deeply. "Weird, it even smells like food. What's the catch here?"

Casey rolled her eyes at this comment as she slid into her chair, placing her own plate in front of her blankly.

"There's no catch," she said quietly, every hint of bitterness tracing her voice. "I always cook you dinner. End of story."

Derek cautiously raised a spoonful of mashed potatoes to his mouth, chewing carefully until he could confirm that the substance on his plate was indeed actual food, and not some sort of trick. He frowned at her as he chewed, speaking up only when he had swallowed.

"You always make me breakfast too, but I was booted from that meal this morning." he pointed out, wagging his fork at her with a raised brow. "This chicken is definitely making up for it though. You know what they say; food is the way to any man's heart."

Casey raised her fork to her lips, taking in a piece of grilled chicken. She chewed quietly as she brought her fork down to rest against her plate, and Derek felt his hopes falter as he swallowed back his fear, going for a different approach.

"You want to watch a movie tonight?" he asked, raising a brow hopefully at her. She did not look over at him, and he continued, praying she would give in. "Come on, Case. Me, you, a big bowl of popcorn..."

Her hand wrapped around her glass of water, and she took a small sip of it, her eyes focused on the table in front of her the entire time. He waited with anxiously held breath, wanting to see if she would give him some sort of an answer when she was finished, but he felt his hopes die away when she merely placed her glass on the table again, and resumed her eating.

Trying not to let his disappointment show, he took a bite of his own chicken, giving her the smallest of smiles.

"Come on, babe. I'll let you pick out the movie, and I'll even share the popcorn with you."

Annoyance flashed through her gorgeous eyes, and he felt himself stiffen as he realized that she wasn't going to give in that quickly.

"Fine," he said tightly, some level of anger to his voice now. "Ignore me."

"Pretty sure I already am," she retorted, shrugging one shoulder carelessly. "I'm trying to, anyway. It'd be a hell of alot easier if you'd leave though."

His jaw stiffened, and it took every bit of his self-control not to retaliate against her comment. She was definitely sparking some of his unused anger, and while he would love nothing more than to tell her how he _really_ felt about her current attitude, he knew that it was not worth it to fight with her. They were both stressed out, and with Casey being pregnant and all, he knew that he shouldn't do anything to cause her more grief than necessary. He had been the one at fault the night before, and it was him who would have to suck it up, and accept the consequences.

Sighing, he dropped his fork next to his full plate of food, defeat clear in his eyes as he leaned across the table towards her.

"Casey, I'm sorry," he said, and despite the fact that his words sounded reluctant, he knew that they sounded honest. Her eyes shot up to meet with his almost instantly, but he could not read the look in her eyes as he reached across the table, taking her hand gently within his own.

"Being a jerk... well, it's who I am, but I took it too far last night," he admitted, inwardly cringing at his overuse of emotion and honesty. "What I said to you was... it was beyond low, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for it. I can honestly tell you that I didn't mean it."

For a moment, he thought that he had won her over that quickly. Some of the anger in her features had faded, and he was almost relieved at how quickly he had managed to put an end to their little fight.

But just as quickly, hurt flickered across her face, replacing the anger that had lingered there only moments before.

"So you said it to hurt me," she concluded, drawing back from him a little bit. As he began to shake his head, his eyes widening, she rushed on, her voice determined and convinced.

"You had to have known that something like that would hurt me," she said, and it was only the hurt in her voice that kept his anger in check. "You could have been nice about it Derek, but you chose to be an idiot and hurt my feelings. You chose to act like the old Derek."

He raised a brow at this, his instincts telling him that this could mean nothing good. He had a feeling that she could mean nothing good by referring to him as the "old" Derek.

"What do you mean, I was acting like the old me?" he asked, trying not to sound too offended.

Hesitance lingered in her eyes, and he knew without a doubt that she was reluctant to speak her mind. If anything, this only alarmed him further. When Casey McDonald had reservations about speaking her mind, then there must be something really bad going through her mind. She had to be one of the most outspoken people that he knew.

But in the end, her hesitance could not triumph over her need to express her feelings, and she wound up letting out a very deep breath, her uncertain eyes locking with his.

"By the old you, I mean the sort of guy you were when I first met you. The guy you were back in the beginning of high school."

All colour drained from his cheeks, and he felt every limb in his body go numb as he clenched his teeth, trying his hardest to contain his anger.

That had been a low blow on her behalf, even if he knew that he deserved it. If there was something that Derek had always regretted, it was that he had been such a genuine jerk to her during the first two years of their life as stepsiblings. Sure, he still loved to insult her now, but that was more on a playful level. The Derek that she had known back in high school had been one who insulted her without a guilty concious, the guy who had hit on a good twenty girls a day, even if he had a girlfriend. He could admit that the guy she used to know had been a complete and total idiot, and he knew that.

Keeping his eyes narrowed against hers, he swallowed back a million and one cruel comments, the stress of the unspoken words welling up almost painfully in the back of his throat.

"I know what I said was harsh, but I don't think you have any right to compare me to the way I used to be."

She looked surprised by this, and she pulled her hand out of his own rapidly. He knew that this was a bad sign, but he could not bring himself to mention it as he waited, anxious to hear her response.

"Usually when you insult me, I know you're only kidding," she said, lowering her eyes to the table as she propped one elbow against the surface, resting her head in her hand. He waited, sensing that there was more to come. It only took her a moment to prove him right.

"You made it seem like you were making some huge sort of a sacrifice, being with someone like me in the first place," she said, keeping her eyes on the table as her voice dropped another notch or two. "I'm sorry if you find me pushy and annoying, and hey, I know that I can be a keener sometimes. But I'm not sorry for being who I am. I'm not willing to change my entire personality to suit you."

"You don't have to," he assured her, placing his hand over hers again as he leaned even closer towards her. "Casey, believe me when I say that I love you just the way you are. I told you, I wasn't thinking about what I said to you last night. I wouldn't want to change a thing about you."

He knew that he sounded like the world's biggest sap, but to be honest he didn't care. He was not willing to let her continue hurting just because he wanted to protect his rep. It was only the two of them there now, and for him to put his rep before the feelings of the girl he loved... well, that would be a very bad move on his behalf.

"You called me pushy and annoying, Derek," she reminded him, pulling her hand from his again. He considered making a third attempt to hold her hand, but he knew a lost cause when he saw one. It was not worth it to keep pushing the matter further. If she wouldn't let him touch her, he'd just have to be even softer with his words. Looks like he'd be breaking all his rules on this one.

"If we were back in high school, I would've expected something like that from you," she admitted, sighing gently as she pushed her plate towards the middle of the table, her food almost completely untouched. "You're my boyfriend. You're supposed to... I dunno, look past my flaws, and accept them as a part of who I am. There's things that you do every single day that annoy me to no end, but do I ever call you out on them?"

Derek raised an eyebrow at her comment, his ego taking the blow quicker than his rational train of thought.

"What do you mean- I do things that get you mad?" he questioned, regretting the words before they had even passed his lips. Now was not the time to question her on this, and while he knew that, there was nothing that he could do to take back the words now.

Casey's eyes met with his now, and he was relieved to see that she didn't look at all surprised by his question. Perhaps she had known that his egotistical self would want to question that statement, for she merely shrugged one shoulder, unmoved by his question.

"Nothing major, just little things that get me mad," she explained, sounding off-hand. When he continued to watch her anxiously, she rolled her eyes, knowing that he wanted specific examples.

"Fine. Things like... oh, I dunno. The way you flirt with girls, right in front of me sometimes."

His defensive side acted instinctively, and he leaned away from her slightly, giving a disbelieving laugh.

"I don't flirt with other girls," he defended, but he did not even need the raise of her brow to know that his words sounded lame. He was Derek Venturi, and even as his long term relationship with Casey approached seven years, he was always tempted when he was presented with a pretty girl. He was not a saint; he was a man, and every man had his guilty thoughts sometimes, right?

And he knew that there was no point in denying that to her.

Rolling his eyes, he relaxed his formerly tense body, prepared for a fight.

"Fine, so maybe I have a tendency of flirting with other girls, but you know I've never cheated," he said, and when she narrowed her eyes against his, he tried again in an urgent voice.

"You understand that, don't you?" he asked, praying that she didn't think _that_ harshly of him. "You know that I'd never cheat on you, right?"

For a brief moment, he feared that she would say no to him- that she would deny her confidence in his loyalty. He wasn't sure what would hit him worse- the hurt or the anger, if she were to admit that she thought he were capable of cheating on her. He may be plagued with guilty thoughts from time to time, but he would never lay a finger on another girl. His relationship with Casey satisfied him completely, and his life with her was worth way too much for him to ever consider risking.

So he was relieved when she nodded her head, and even more convinced when he saw the honesty that rested against the shadows of her beautiful blue eyes. He had no doubt in his mind that she was telling the truth as she spoke up, leaning forward over the table once more.

"I know you're not the type of guy who would cheat on me," she assured him, and something in her eyes suggested that she knew how worried she had made him. For a split second, he thought that maybe she wasn't so angry with him anymore, but predictably, she was quick to bounce back into the swing of their fight.

"We're off topic here," she reminded him, dashing all of the leftover hope that had been evident in his face. He tried not to let his disappointment show as she pushed her chair back, shaking her head dismissively.

"Whatever," she said harshly, reaching across the table to grab her plate firmly within her hand. "I'm not going to sit here all night and argue with you."

Derek bristled, his body tensing as he shook his head. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pushed himself into a standing position, his eyes following her very carefully as she placed her practically untouched dinner onto the counter, showing no intentions of finishing it off. He was quick to cross the kitchen to stand next to her, and she completely ignored him as she turned the hot water on, waiting patiently for the liquid to reach a warm temperature.

"You're not just going to ignore me," he insisted, leaning back against the counter so that he could clearly see her face. "I may be in the wrong here, but I'm not going to let you freeze me out for another night. And I'm definitely not sleeping on the couch again. That thing is hard on the back you know."

She made no comment on his stab at humour, but merely rinsed her hands off, and reached for a roll of paper towels. Ripping a sheet off, she dried off her hands, tossing the used paper towel unceremoniously into the waste basket. She placed her half empty glass on the counter, before turning to him, shrugging a shoulder carelessly.

"Just forget about it, okay? You're forgiven, if it makes you feel any better."

He hesitated, and on any other occasion, he might have dropped the subject happily. This was what he wanted to hear, right? He had gone into this argument with one goal, and one goal only; to end the argument between himself and Casey. All he had wanted was to get on her good side again, so then why did he feel so unfulfilled?

Maybe because there was nothing but disappointment and hurt lingering in her eyes. Maybe because he could hear the defeat in her voice, hear the unresolved issues lingering between their every spoken word. And most importantly, maybe it was because, despite all she had said, he got the feeling that they weren't really okay; they weren't really fine.

"Casey," he started, but she turned abruptly, her tear-filled eyes meeting with his suddenly. He had been on the verge of saying something, but whatever it was flew from his mind instantly as he saw the obvious pain in her eyes. Despite his need to end their argument, he was instantly hit with a complete lack of words in favour of his concern for Casey.

"Case," he choked out, shaking his head pleadingly as he took a step towards her. "Come on, please don't cry."

She shook her head with defeat, taking a step away from him as she backed up towards the kitchen door.

"Just leave me alone, Derek," she said, sounding desperate rather than angry. "We're fine, it's over. Just... let me go."

He considered arguing with her on that one. He knew that they weren't fine, and he wanted nothing more than to sit down and work things out with her. He wanted to go to sleep tonight with a happy girlfriend in his arms, one who had nothing to cry over.

But judging by the look on her face, she just wanted to be left alone, and he knew that pressing the matter further was the last thing that she wanted to do.

So he placed both hands in his pockets, taking a step away from the kitchen counter as he nodded towards her unfinished meal.

"You stay and finish your supper," he instructed, squinting at her. "I'll go."

A shake of the head signalled that she was about to argue, but he put on his most determined gaze, not willing to budge on this one.

"You're pregnant, and I'm not going to let you skip meals just because you're angry at me," he said, hoping that this would earn him some points with her. Cautiously, he took a step towards her. He placed a hand on either side of her waist, ignoring the way her body tensed in his arms. She was looking up at him with a mixture of hesitation and anger, as though she could not decide whether she wanted to push him away or not.

Knowing that he should act before she did, he leaned in, pressing his lips to her warm forehead very briefly. She made no effort to return the gesture, but she remained still in his arms as he pulled back, fixing her with the smallest of smiles he could summon up. His face remained extremely close to hers as he reached up with one hand to brush her hair back off of her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.

"You've got to stay healthy for our baby, and for yourself," he whispered, forcing himself to keep smiling. "That means you eat your meals, you don't argue with me more than you've got to, and you keep yourself as stress free as possible. Got it?"

Her gaze connected with his, and she watched him uncertainly for a moment, as though she was debating how she should respond. He could not read the expression on her face, but he could not find any traces of anger as she nodded her head, pulling gently out of his grasp. He worried for a moment that she might be angry with him, but she merely grasped her plate firmly in her hands again, walking briskly towards the table without another word towards him.

He stared after her for only a moment, before turning on the spot, and stalking off towards the living room wordlessly.

- - - -

Derek and Casey had managed to remain decently civil for the rest of the evening. While they were not back on normal speaking terms, it was obvious that they weren't exactly fighting with each other anymore either. Casey had kindly offered to make him a mug of hot chocolate when she brewed some for herself and Rebecca, and she had said nothing when he had gone upstairs for bed that night. She had even allowed him to give her a brief kiss on the cheek right before they fell asleep, and she had not protested when he had wrapped his arm firmly around her waist.

He had half hoped that morning would bring with it some final sense of normalcy, but he was not surprised when they fell into the same awkward sort of peace treaty that they had nursed the night before. Derek had briefly mentioned to her that Andrew would be coming over with Dylan, and that he would be going out to meet Matthew for some final arrangements in Matthew's case. He wanted to get Matthew Leary's case out of the way as soon as possible, and he planned on finishing up plans for the setup that day. The next time he saw Matthew after today, he hoped that he would have this case in the bag. It may sound cruel, but he wanted to rid himself of anything that could distract him from solving his home situation right now.

By the time he met up with Matthew at twelve thirty that afternoon, he could admit that he was more than a little stressed out. Terrence was at the house with Casey right now. He had been on his way in as Derek was leaving, and Derek hadn't had the time to try and argue with him. He had promised to give the guy a chance, and he knew that it would be wrong to deny Terrence the chance to help out. Andrew was there with Casey and Rebecca, and if there was one thing that reassured Derek, that would be it. He knew that Terrence would not be alone with either girl so long as Andrew was there.

Nonetheless, by the time Matthew slid into the bench across the wooden booth from Derek, he had to admit that his nerves were almost completely shot.

"We'll make this quick," Derek said, trying his best not to sound annoyed. "I've got alot going on back at home today."

Matthew shrugged out of his jacket, letting it slide around his waist easily. Derek had already gone ahead and ordered them both a drink, so Matthew wrapped his hand easily around his glass, taking a sip of his orange juice easily. He fixed Derek with a slightly sympathetic look, raising a brow at him.

"Girlfriend troubles?" he guessed, and when Derek fixed him with a suspicious look, he shrugged a shoulder, leaning back with an arm draped across the back of his bench.

"I'm just assuming," he explained, his voice a low drawl- one that was almost too amused for his own good. "With men like us, troubles usually stem from fights with the girl, or the playoffs being cancelled."

Derek could not help but supress a grin at that, and he relaxed against the bench, taking a quick sip of his own citrus water. The tension that he felt inside did not exactly fade, but he had to admit that it felt nice to finally have a conversation with someone who wasn't angry with him.

"I guess you could call it troubles with the girlfriend," he admitted, knowing it was best not to lie. "Ex-boyfriend is back in the picture, I was a jerk, and now she's mad at me. You know, that sort of thing."

Matthew chuckled, offering Derek his most reassuring of grins.

"It'll blow over man, trust me," he assured him, and when Derek looked uncertain, he rushed on. "But look, if you're in a rush, I won't keep you long. I think you said something about trying to catch Marcus over the next couple of days? You said you've got a plan?"

Derek nodded his head, swallowing his mouthful of water as he reached onto the booth behind him, hauling out his folder. He was relieved that they had chosen to just go out for drinks today, because it made it that much easier to get out of there nice and early. He had already assured the waitress that they would not require menus, and he knew without a doubt that this would not take long.

"You said Marcus wouldn't be able to deny the chance to get her alone, right?" he asked, pulling out a sheet of paper that he had scrawled some notes on two nights before. Matthew frowned down at the paper curiously, but said nothing as Derek jabbed a finger at one of the neatly written notes in front of him.

"Would you be okay with using your house for the setup?" he asked, and there was no hesitance in Matthew's eyes as he shrugged a shoulder, nodding his head.

"Not a problem," he said, and Derek nodded quickly, before motioning to the next note on his paper.

"You've told me that Marcus calls Meena everyday around suppertime," he said, recalling everything that Matthew had told him. "Next time he calls, you get her to act all upset. She's going to tell Marcus that you cheated on her, and dumped her. If this creep is like any other obsessed ex, he'll jump at the chance to comfort a vulnerable girl. You make sure she gets him to believe the breakup is real. You come in shouting in the background, for all I care. Just make sure he thinks you're out of the picture."

Matthew nodded, his eyebrows furrowed as he paid close attention to everything that Derek was saying. He looked deep in thought, and Derek did not wait for a response as he continued.

"He's bound to ask her to meet up, and that's when she tells him to come over to the apartment," he said, leaning back easily into the wooden booth, recalling the plan from memory by now. "You leave and call me the second he agrees to come over. I'll meet up with you, and we'll already have the camera set up in the apartment to catch this guy on tape. We'll wait until he's inside, and we'll get Meena to admit that it was all a setup. By what you've told me about him, he's bound to get angry at her, and start freaking out. We'll be watching the screen from downstairs in my car until we get something on him, and then we'll go in and get him. We'll hold him until the cops show up, and they'll take him away. They can't deny that he's a criminal, once they see this creep flipping out on camera."

Matthew drew back, looking slightly impressed as he folded his arms across his chest, fixing Derek with a trusting look.

"You're sure this will work?" he asked, and Derek flipped the folder shut on top of the table, shrugging a shoulder carelessly.

"If Marcus is as big of a creep as you say he is, he's sure to freak out when Meena tells him she set him up. We'll be close enough so that he can't do any real damage, but we'll still have evidence of him on tape. It can't fail, as far as I can see."

Matthew thought this over for a moment, nodding his head before he had even spoken up. Derek knew without a doubt that Matthew would go along with the plan, whether he agreed with it completely or not.

Sure enough, Matthew sighed, giving Derek a questioning look.

"Tomorrow then?" he asked, sounding hopeful and curious all at once. "We'll set up the cameras tonight, in time for tomorrow's phone call?"

Derek nodded, mentally deciding to go over to Matthew's place after dinner, so that he could set up the cameras necessary to catch Marcus. He was sure Casey wouldn't mind him leaving for awhile; she seemed to enjoy time away from him over the past day or two.

"Tomorrow," he agreed, extending a hand to Matthew professionally. "Tomorrow, it'll all be over."

If only he knew how wrong he would turn out to be.

* * *

**So I'm going to answer some questions that have been asked of me lately. **

**_1) Would Derek know what Jacob Wilson looked like?_**

No. Derek has never met Jacob Wilson. He was in jail during the duration of Through the Haze, and the only picture he saw of the Wilsons during the last story was of the protest of Jacob's arrest, which was a photograph of Mark.

_**2) Where did you get the pictures for the banner?**_

Honestly? I watched movie trailers until I found pictures of characters I liked. I mostly stuck to thrillers.

**Next two chapters are possibly two of the pivotal chapters in this story so far. Alot will be revealed, hints will be thrown out, and there will be discussion of the baby. **

**I'm sorry about lack of updates, but I was undergoing alot of writer's block. You guys reviewed alot more than usual last chapter, and I'm sure reviews will help me to get the next chapter out alot quicker. So if you're interested please take a second to just comment on this chapter. Even if you hated it, I'd stil love to hear from you. **

**Thanks! Hope you're enjoying. **


	15. Consequences

**Sorry for the delay. I have been slightly uninspired with writing lately, and I only got nine reviews on the last chapter, so that was even more uninspiring. On top of that, I'm doing six hours of volunteer work almost everyday, working three times a week, and trying to get both of my math class grades up to a pass. To add to the stress I am in the middle of packing to move, so everythings upside down right now. But I will try and be more consistant with updating, I promise. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Consequences**

By the time Derek had gotten home that night, he had to admit that he was pleased with himself. He had not gone home at all since his lunch meeting with Matthew that morning, despite his initial rush to get their meeting done and over with as soon as possible.

He had busied himself by making a quick trip to the mall to pick up a few things, before making his way back to the office to get the necessary equipment that they would need to catch Marcus the next day. He had managed to score a top of the line camera that Andrew had poked away in one of the cabinets, and it definitely helped that the camera was small enough to hide away, out of general view. He didn't want anything to stand in the way of this case getting pushed back for even as long as a day.

After he had set up the camera at Matthew's house, he found himself heading home, hoping that the small gift thar he had bought for Casey would put her in a bit of a better mood for the rest of the evening. He was glad that they were no longer fighting, but he wasn't sure if he could handle another night of awkward avoidance, and forced peace treatys between them.

"I'm home!" he called out, as he stepped through the front door of his house. "Case? Andrew? Becca?"

He paused, making a face.

"Terrence?"

"In here, D."

If that voice hadn't belonged to his best friend, he would've been extremely disgusted that the only one to answer him had been his worst enemy.

But as he walked into his neat and tidy living room, he was relieved to see that there was only Andrew, draped comfortably into Derek's recliner. Normally, Derek would've demanded that Andrew get up out of his spot, but he honestly didn't have it in him to argue today. All he wanted to do was eat, see Casey, and go to bed. It had definitely been a long day, and it was beginning to take its toll on Derek.

As he plopped down into the loveseat that lined the far left wall, he let out a deep breath, running a hand casually through his messy hair.

Andrew spared him an amused glance, raising an eyebrow.

"Long day?" he asked, and when Derek shot him a pointed look, he chuckled, turning back towards the television. "I don't suggest you get too comfortable."

Derek merely frowned, confused by this statement, and Andrew nodded towards the ceiling, clearly motioning towards the second floor of the house.

"Your girl is gone stir crazy up there," he explained, with a casual shrug of the shoulder. "You didn't bother to call and tell her you'd be gone all day. She thinks something happened."

As Andrew's words registered in Derek's mind, he realized that he had forgotten to call Casey that afternoon. His cellphone had gone dead at around one, and while he had meant to call her from a payphone at the mall, it had completely slipped his mind. He had been so focused on getting everything he needed and getting out again that he had not stopped to consider the panic he must have put her through.

Before Andrew could utter another word, Derek was up out of his chair, and halfway up the stairs towards his and Casey's bedroom. He half expected Andrew to call out after him, but his best friend shouted no more warnings as he turned his gaze back towards the television, chuckling gently at his best friend's misfortune.

Moments later, he found himself pushing their bedroom door open, his heart heavy with dread. If Casey had been angry at him before, he could not even fathom how enraged she would be with him now. She was the sort of girl who liked to be informed on where her boyfriend was at most times of the day, and for him to allow the two of them to get so out of touch in the midst of everything that was currently going on within their family... well, he would not blame her for putting up a good fight against him. If she had gone eight hours without contacting _him_, he'd be having a fit right about now.

So he was surprised when he stepped through the threshold of their bedroom, only to be met by an extremely relieved, and quite forgiving Casey McDonald.

Holding up a cautious hand in preparation, he cringed, his entire body freezing with anticipation.

"Before you hit me, or yell at me, I just want to-"

But he did not get a chance to finish. As his mouth hung open in mid-sentence, she had fallen willingly into his open arms, her head burying instantly into the crook of his neck. He stumbled backwards slightly, taken aback by her lack of anger, but he somehow managed to gather his nerves into a collectable little bundle, and wrap his arms around her delicate waist. He squeezed her tightly against him as she let out a sob, holding him even tighter.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again," she murmered into his black jacket, her body trembling slightly. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Guilt washed over him almost instantly, and he stared down at the top of her head shamefully, realizing how much stress he had caused her that afternoon. The top of her brown head was shaking slightly, and he knew that the shaking could only mean one thing; she was crying. She was crying, and all because of his stupid mistake.

Angry with himself, he pressed his lips to the top of her head, clutching her to his chest protectively. His body was much cooler than hers, since he had been outside before he came into the house, and the warmth of her body against his chest was a comfort, really. She didn't seem to mind the cooler temperature of his body at all as she pulled back, her hands sliding up to clutch the collar of his jacket almost desperately. Her tear-filled eyes looked longingly into his own guilt-ridden ones, and she shook her head, blinking back a couple of unshed tears.

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

The lack of anger in her voice was almost amusing, and he could not help but chuckle as he nodded his head, his arms never letting her go.

"I'm up for whatever you feel like calling me," he assured her, knowing that he was in no position to question her name-calling. "You probably want to hit me right now, don't you?"

She laughed through her tears then, a smile creeping onto her lips despite herself. She shook her head, raising one hand to wipe a couple of stray tears away from her cheek. The tears quickly replaced themselves, and she let out a spurt of choked laughter, shrugging one shoulder.

"I don't know which I want more- to hit you, or to kiss you," she admitted, her eyes meeting with his shamefully.

Derek chuckled, winding his arms further around her waist, and winking subtly at her.

"I can tell you which of the two I'd prefer," he said smoothly, hoping to cheer her up.

His comments only proved to confuse her further, and she let out something that slightly resembled laughter, anger still sparking in her eyes.

"It's times like this when I wish I could hate you," she mumbled, sniffing to rid herself of her tears. "You'd better have an awfully good explanation about where you were, or I swear to God I'll never forgive you."

He dropped his hands from her waist then, taking both of her smaller hands gently within his own. There was slight mockery in her voice- the only sign that she was joking around- but he could see concern and pain reflected in her eyes. That was when he knew that he had hurt her. Maybe it had been unintentionally, and sure it had been a simple mistake, but not calling to let her know where he was had caused her alot of unnecessary pain in the long run. She had spent an entire afternoon worrying about whether or not someone had gotten to her boyfriend, and that sort of concern and agony wasn't something she should have gone through.

"There's no excuse for worrying you like that," he admitted shamefully, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. His hands remained linked with hers as her knees bumped gently against his, hands still locked together. She was frowning, and fixing him with a skeptical look, one that he quickly put to rest as he pulled her closer, dropping a gentle kiss to her forehead. He saw her close her eyes in appreciation, and a reluctant smile graced her lips when she reopened her eyes.

"I was meeting with a client, and I had alot of things to arrange for my final meeting with him tomorrow," he admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "I didn't finish up until about a half an hour ago. I really had to get this stuff done, but I know that not calling you was a mistake. I honestly never meant to worry you, Case. That was never my intention."

His eyes were trained on her face as he waited for a response- something that would tell him he was not _completely_ unforgiven by her. Her gaze was steady for a moment- unreadable, really- and it took all of two seconds for a slight smile to creep onto her lips, followed immediately by the softening of her eyes that he had learned to love. This look- this soft, mushy, stomach-sickening sort of lovey-dovey look- was the one that he pretended to hate, but secretly loved at the same time. While he told Casey that giving each other _that_ obvious of gazes would only up the PDA a little bit too much for his liking, he knew that his eyes probably held that look every single time he looked at her. She seemed to be under concious control of her actions, while Derek... well, Derek couldn't control his outward display of affection for his girlfriend if his life depended on it. His whole world had somehow learned to revolve around Casey, and he wasn't sure how he could ever live any differently now.

Before he could say another word, she was in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as he instinctively shifted to accomodate for her space on his lap. His arms wound around her waist for a second time, and he buried his face into her hair, secretly relieved that all of the tension that had previously existed between them seemed to have evaporated. He wasn't too sure if he could have survived another day with her not speaking to him.

"I thought they'd gotten to you," she admitted, sounding embarassed. "Was that stupid of me?"

He shook his head, pressing a rough kiss to the side of her head as he squeezed her body tightly to his. There was no hint of dishonesty in his voice as he spoke up.

"You're not stupid for being worried about me," he assured her, before pulling back a little to look her directly in the eye. "I would've thought the exact same thing if you hadn't called me for eight or nine hours."

Sniffing back the rest of her tears, she sighed, her warm breath sending goosebumps up and down his neck. She stared straight into his eyes, obviously trying her hardest to forgive and forget.

"Let's talk about something else, okay?" she suggested, clearly wanting to move on from anything that related to the panic that had existed all afternoon.

Derek quickly nodded his head, relieved for any sort of an escape.

"What do you want to talk about?" he questioned, his arm wrapping easily around her waist as he pushed a couple of strands of hair away from her eyes. "Anything in particular?"

She bit on her lower lip, thinking for a moment, before excitement flickered through her eyes and she nodded. He waited as she reached behind him on the bed, retrieving a small white book with blue lettering across the front. It was a fair size book, but Derek could see nothing special about it.

"It's a book," he said simply, shrugging a shoulder at her. "You know I don't touch those things, babe."

Rolling her eyes, she smacked his shoulder with the object, pretending to be annoyed with his snark.

"It's a book of baby names, you idiot," she informed him, as though it were obvious. "I got bored, and I found the book that we bought back when I was pregnant with Rebecca. I know I'm only three months pregnant, but it's never too early to start picking out a name, right?"

He could sense her need for reassurance, so he quickly nodded, sighing as he plucked the book gently from her grasp. He flipped through the pages in a breeze, briefly noting the names that Casey had highlighted or starred as important.

Amber, Callum, Jessica, Justin...

There were way too many to even count. If this was Casey's method of narrowing down the names, the kid would be graduated by the time she actually chose one.

Sighing, he flipped the book shut, not wanting to continue reading her name preferences.

"I always liked Jackson," he said, tossing the book carelessly to the bed behind him. "Classic and modern- best of both worlds. It sounds... manly."

Casey wrinkled her nose at this, her forehead crinkling as she toyed with the idea in her mind. He saw her lips move slightly, and he could hear the faint whisper of the name pass her lips as she tried the name out in her mind. He waited patiently, but was not surprised when she shook her head, looking disapproving.

"You name a kid Jackson, you're asking him to be labelled as Jack for the rest of his life," she informed him, with a very determined look on her face. "Jackson's a definite no."

Derek frowned, obviously not pleased with her refusal to listen to reason.

"Come on," he coaxed her, rubbing small circles on her back in hopes of comforting her. "Jackson Venturi. It's not such a bad name, is it?"

"Reminds me of the Hannah Montana kid," Casey complained, frowning at him. "Give up already. You know you're never going to win this argument."

Derek rolled his eyes, flicking his head casually to the right so that his messy hair flopped over to one side again in the front. He knew that she was right, and that he had no real chance of winning this argument, so he merely nodded his head, making sure to keep a determined sort of gleam in his eyes.

"We'll talk about this again, mark my words," he warned her, sounding amused. "You know Derek Venturi doesn't give up without an awesome fight."

Casey grimaced, her eyes locked with his as she shifted slightly in his lap, allowing some space between the two of them. He kept his hold on her waist, and he listened with mock intent as she spoke up, her voice way more serious than it had been only moments before.

"We'll get out of this," she whispered, trying to reassure herself as much as she was him. "We'll beat this, and everything will be under control by the time this baby is born."

Her voice was so serious, so determined that Derek almost believed her. If he fought with an equal amount of dedication and confidence as she apparantly had, there was no chance of losing, right? How could you lose if you were giving it your all- if your entire life was banking on winning this one battle? Was there anything to be said for will power, in this situation?

He didn't know. All he knew was that- when Casey needed reassurance- he would give it to her. It may be wrong of him to give her a false sense of reassurance that everything would be okay in six months time, but right now, she was hurting. Who cared whether or not his words were true six months down the road? It was here and now, and while he hated lying to her, he hated seeing her in pain even more.

And so he nodded, pushing that false smile onto his lips. He nodded, and acted like everything was okay. He put on a show for the girl he loved, so that she would not have to undergo the stress that he himself dealt with on a daily basis. The last thing he would want would for her to be faced with the scary possibilites that were slowly coming more realistic and possible each and every day.

- - - - -

Casey had fallen asleep a good twenty minutes later. They had been lying casually on the bed, not saying a word. There had been so much potential for conversation between them, but they had laid there in silence- completely uninterested in conversation. Derek had pulled the covers over her to keep her warm, and he had stroked her hair carefully until he could hear the tiny whispers of prolonged breath that indiciated to him that she had finally fallen asleep.

He had stashed his present for her inside the pocket of one of the jackets inside their closet. He had originally intended to give her the gift tonight, but she had been way too tired to even try and give her a present. He could easily give it to her the next time she needed a bit of cheering up, right?

After turning off their bedroom light and closing the door almost fully, Derek crept down the stairs into the dimly lit living room, his eyes squinting through the darkness in search of Andrew. The dim blue glow of the television was his only lamp, and he found himself stumbling slightly as he landed on the bottom step, clutching the railing for balance.

"Drew?" he questioned, seeing that his best friend was still staring at the screen blankly.

Andrew looked up casually, his eyes distracted as he gave a little half-nod, indicating to Derek that he was listening. He had a distant sort of look on his face, as though he had been deep in thought about something else, but he forced a smile onto his features as Derek crossed the room, throwing himself effortlessly into a nearby armchair. As he made himself comfortable, Andrew flicked off the television, reaching onto the endtable next to him to turn on the nearest lamp. The room was immediately engulfed with a comfortable, warm glow- much more relaxing than the light from the television- and Derek found himself struggling to adjust his eyes to the new light surrounding him.

"Why don't you just move in?" he teased, as he made himself comfortable in his chair. "You're here twenty four seven. You eat here, you watch my TV... hell, I think you've got a permanent imprint made into the couch. You're clearly no threat when it comes to stealing my woman, and you babysit."

Derek paused, before adding onto his statement. "You're not a bad cook either, though don't tell Casey I said that. She'd never cook for me again if she thought I was insulting her kitchen work."

Andrew shot Derek a skeptical look, and it looked as though only one part of Derek's little tirade had really registered with him at all.

"What makes you think I'm not a threat to you?" he asked, looking slightly offended. "You think I'm not at all desireable to women or something?"

Derek held back his laughter easily, reaching across the armest to give Andrew a playful punch to the shoulder.

"Course not, man," he joked, mockery clear in his voice. "I mean, you're a complete babe magnet. The girls are just beating down the front doors trying to get to you sometimes, I swear. Honestly dude, I haven't seen you with a single girl since we've met."

Andrew's eyes narrowed, and for the first time to Derek's immediate memory, his best friend was fixing him with a dark look, eyebrows furrowed together angrily.

"Do you think you're funny?" he questioned, his tone harsher than Derek could ever remember. "Really, grow up."

Derek's body tensed, and he stared at his best friend questioningly, figuring that this must be some sort of joke. Andrew had never been seriously angry with Derek, not even when he made the stupidest decisions imagineable. He had looked past Derek's idiotic choices, and he had even looked the other way when his best friend somehow managed to insult him in some way, like now.

But for some reason, there was anger sparking in Andrew's eyes, and Derek could only assume that it had to be fake. Andrew couldn't actually be mad at him, right?

"Dude," he laughed, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Chill out. You know I'm only joking, right?"

Andrew eyed him warily, searching hard for some sort of deceit in Derek's features. His eyes scanned every inch of Derek's face, and for a moment, he thought that Drew might just flip out at him some more. The guy was generally a peaceful sort of man, but he had just proved that he could be full of surprises.

Luckily for Derek, Andrew was able to push past his anger, and the next thing that occured was a brief nod of the head, followed by a gruff sounding;

"It's cool."

Derek raised an eyebrow hopefully, barely daring to believe that Andrew had dropped things that quickly. He had seemed so offended by whatever it was that Derek had said, and yet he was so quick to forgive. The world truly needed more people like Andrew Wallace. Forgiving, kind-hearted, helpful... the man was a regular Mr. Wonderful.

"Sorry man," he forced himself to say, cringing at the choppy delivery of the apology. Andrew must have sensed how hard it was for Derek to apologize in the first place, for after a brief moment of hesitation, he forced a smile onto his lips, and punched him playfully in the shoulder, as though trying to let him know that he wasn't going to hold a grudge.

Derek offered a shaky laugh, still slightly taken aback by Andrew's mood swing. He would've expected something like this from Casey, but Andrew? What had he done that had been so horrible?

"There are certain things you just don't bring up," Andrew hinted, perhaps sensing Derek's shock. Derek's gaze raised to meet with his, and Andrew didn't look away as he continued with his explanation.

"I'd prefer if you didn't mention my dating life," he murmered, a darker tone lying beneath his words now. "If I don't talk about it myself, take a hint that I wouldn't want you to bring it up, okay?"

Derek was slightly taken aback, and a small part of him wanted to correct Andrew's phrase, because honestly, it wasn't Andrew's dating life that he had brought up. It was the lack thereof.

But he knew that he was already teetering on the edge of an argument, so he swallowed back all of his jokes and insults, and forced himself to nod his head at his friend. Acting nice wasn't exactly his strong point, but he somehow managed to force out a;

"Sorry dude, won't happen again."

Andrew paused for a moment, before nodding curtly, obviously satisfied with this response.

"It's fine, D," he assured his friend, throwing a casual shrug in his direction. "I probably overreacted anyway. But tell me- how are things with you and Case? You still in the doghouse, or what?"

Derek rolled his eyes at Andrew's assumption, but shook his head quickly, indicating that him and Casey were no longer fighting.

"Nah," he offered, though there was a certain note of emptiness in his voice. Normally, he would be proud of accomplishing such a task. Getting back on Casey's good side could take some extreme effort, and anyone with half a brain could see that in an instant. Overcoming an argument with her was as good as climbing Mount Everest, in Derek's opinion.

But there was no overindulged pride in his voice as he sighed, stuffing both hands carelessly into his pockets.

"She's not mad at me anymore, but... I dunno. I hate that it took so much worrying for her to forgive me. She was practically sick to her stomach by the time I walked into the bedroom."

He waited- perhaps for Andrew to reassure him that she hadn't really been as worried as he thought, but no such argument came, and Derek knew that he truly had screwed up. Not calling Casey had seemed petty at the time- unimportant, insignificant almost.

But he knew that he'd hurt her, and honestly? That bugged him. Everything he did always came blew up in his face, it seemed. And judging by the silence that Andrew repaid him with, he had a feeling that Andrew felt the same way.

"I dunno, Drew," he admitted, frowning almost shamefully at the hardwood floor. "Sometimes I just feel like... I dunno, like I've failed her. Sometimes I feel like I'm a jerk for keeping her so unfairly. I know she could've done so much better than me."

Andrew frowned at his friend's words, obvious confusion in his eyes as he tilted his head to the right.

"Better than you?" he questioned, as though it were the most ridiculous theory he had ever heard of.

When Derek merely nodded, Andrew let out a surprised round of laughter, shaking his head at Derek with amusement.

"You've gotta be kidding me, D," he accused, the smile never fading as he crossed his arms over his chest pointedly. "There's tons of girls that want you. When you're out in public, I'm surprised Casey's not having catfights with the other girls to keep them away from you. You're like... the dating god."

Derek snorted, rolling his eyes modestly as he tried to shove Andrew's comments aside. While he didn't want to admit it, he knew that Andrew was partially right. He had seen some of the looks that Casey shot other jealous-looking girls when they were out together, though he had always pretended to be completely oblivious to it all. If Casey thought that he didn't give those girls a second glance, he would not have to put up with her extra concern.

"Well I'll tell you what," he suggested, a lighter tone to his voice now. "How about I give _you_ the pockets of fan-girls, and I'll keep the one I've got, okay?"

Andrew popped back the footrest of his seat, kicking his feet up comfortably as he tried not to let his surprise show through.

"You'd really trade handfuls of pretty girls for Casey?" he asked, and when Derek merely stared at him, he shook his head in mock-amazement. "You know, it's getting harder and harder to believe what everyone says about the old you. With the dedication you give to that girl, it's hard to believe that you were ever a serial dater."

Derek laughed at the mention of his former reputation, a slight hint of nostalgia in his eyes. It lasted for only a millisecond, before he replaced the look with a smile. Sure, there were times when he missed his serial dating ways. No committment, no stress, no being tied down with rules and obligations...

But there was never a trace of doubt in his mind when Casey was in his arms, or when he fell asleep next to her at night .And no silly little fling from high school could ever compare to the satisfaction and significance that Casey McDonald brought into his life every single day.

Before he could respond, he heard a quiet shuffling to his right, and he looked up towards the doorway to see Terrence standing there awkwardly- hands in his pockets, eyes fixed almost hesitantly on Derek. He got the impression that Terrence had been hoping for Derek's continued absence that night, but nonetheless, he managed to force a slight grin as he nodded in Derek's direction, body tense.

"Hey Derek," he commented, his voice stiff with dislike. "I uh... I thought you were out. When I called earlier-"

"I was out," Derek said bluntly, no emotion in his voice whatsoever. "Remind me again- why are you here?"

Any hint of hope in Terrence's features faded instantly, and he rearranged his features into a look of complete objectivity- wanting to keep things as civil as possible, apparantly.

"Casey called me earlier," he said, and Derek could not help but get the feeling that there was some sort of proud undertone to his statement. "She sounded angry. She told me-"

"Me and my girlfriend are fine," he said bitterly, with every intent of being rude. "So thanks, Dr.Phil, but I think I'll take a pass. Me and Casey are doing perfect without your interference."

Terrence frowned, perching himself awkwardly against the arm of the couch that Andrew was currently seated on. It was clear that he felt unwelcome in the presence of the two men. It was like Derek and Andrew were a part of some exclusive club- and Terrence was the annoying tag-along that they just couldn't seem to shake. It wasn't that he didn't get the hint, it was that he wasn't doing anything about it. He knew that he was heavily disliked under this roof for his past mistakes, but he was making no effort to get out while he could.

And it was people like this that drove Derek absolutely crazy sometimes.

Terrence made no vocal observation of the obvious tension between them as he dropped onto the arm of the couch, ignoring the wary look that Andrew immediately fixed him with.

"I was hoping we could push past our differences, you know," he informed him, sounding as though he already knew where this would go. "If me and you are going to be spending any amount of time together, I think it'd be best for everyone if we could act civil towards one another."

Derek blinked, a incredulous look on his face as he tried his best not to laugh. Laughing at someone else's comments was something that he had done quite frequently back in high school, but he had learned that it never led him anywhere good, especially in such grave conditions as these. While he despised Terrence beyond reason, he knew that he had no recent reason not to trust the guy. The last time they'd seen each other before Terrence's arrest, they had been on relatively decent terms. Maybe it had been the natural high of having accomplished something so seemingly impossible together, but Terrence had seemed like something of an allie at the time- almost like a friend. He had been too caught up in his excitement to top and think about who he had been so friendly towards, and that seemed to be causing Terrence some confusion right now.

It had been the following months that had turned Derek away from Terrence again, and really, Casey could be held to blame for that one. Derek had attended a large majority of her therapy sessions with her, and the stories that had come out during those half an hour time slots would haunt him for the rest of his life. Really, had her therapist thought that he _wanted_ to hear the details of three other men torturing her? Did she _think_ that Casey really needed to vocalize her ordeal step by step, day by day?

Okay, so maybe that had ultimately been what had helped her in the end. If she had never come forwards with everything that had happened to her, she would've kept it all bottled up inside, and that couldn't work out very well either. She was better today because of the methods her therapist had used on her, and Derek would be forever grateful for that.

But in the long run, hearing the details of her kidnapping had turned Derek away from Terrence completely. If he had gained any of Derek's respect during the final showdown between the brothers, he had lost it again the moment he'd heard of the first time Terrence had laid a hand on Casey. Sure, he hadn't been nearly as bad as his brothers, and okay, maybe he had been reluctant towards any violence.

But he'd hurt Casey. And to Derek, that sort of thing was almost completely unforgiveable. Terrence would have to do a whole lot of good to get back on Derek's good side again. And until such a time that he miraculously did so, Derek planned on milking this for all that it was worth.

"Casey's gone to bed, pretty boy," he snarled, amusement clear in his voice as he shook his head. "Go home."

He had expected the man to listen to him, but Terrence did not move a muscle as his eyes flashed towards the staircase, gaze hesitant.

"I was sort of..." he started, but trailed off as he bit down on his lower lip, apparantly unsure of how to voice his statement. Derek and Andrew watched him expectantly, sensing that there was further concerns weighing on his mind right about now. He kept his gaze fixed in the direction of the stairwell for only a moment longer, before turning back to the men with a torn sort of hope on his face.

"I was hoping to talk Dylan for a bit, actually," he informed them, looking as though he was preparing himself for an argument already. "There's a few things I need to clear up with him, and-"

"Like hell," Andrew stated, and both Derek and Terrence turned towards him this time, surprised to hear such a bold statement come out of Andrew's mouth. Andrew Wallace was never one to express his opinion harshly, and to hear him come out against Terrence so boldly... well, it was a shock to say the least.

But if Andrew noticed his companion's reactions, he said nothing to sway them. Instead, he shook his head defiantly, throwing a nod in the direction of the staircase.

"Dylan fell asleep about an hour ago," he explained, sounding determined. "Furthermore, I don't exactly trust you around him. Don't give me any dirty looks either, because you've given us good reason not to trust you in the past. You played dirty just like your brothers, Wilson, and now you've gotta deal with the consequences."

Terrence lowered his gaze to the floor then, jaw set tightly into place as he undoubtedly forced back a million and one comebacks. Derek couldn't blame him for wanting to fight back, but honestly, he respected that the guy kept his mouth firmly shut. He had royally screwed up by involving himself in something so dirty, and even three years after his release from prison, he was forced to deal with the consequences of doing other people's dirty work.

But despite Derek's slight sliver of respect for Terrence's resolve to stay quiet, it wasn't enough to change his mind entirely, and he found himself smirking as he sat quietly against the soft material of his armchair. His arms remained folded across his chest, and his expression was emotionless as he smirked, unable to help the pride that coursed through him right now.

Finally, someone saw eye to eye with him. Finally, someone was on his side here.

And damn, it had never felt so good.

* * *

**This was mainly a filler. Like I said, less than ten reviews on the last chapter was a large part of the delay this time. So please do me a favour and review this. A few notes:**

**A) I have reposted Through the Haze as an original fiction over on fictionpress, under .Eternal.Romance. and if you would like to check it out, go ahead. It's slightly different from the original- different characters, slightly different circumstances, and hopefully improved. **

**B) The next two chapters are going to be absolutely crucial. I know I said that last time, but this filler was actually necessary to move to where I need to go in terms of Dylan, Andrew's personal life, the baby, etc. So while it may feel like a filler, it'll be important later on.**

**C) I have closed the poll on my profile, and opened a new one. Check out the results and the new poll when you get a chance! **


	16. Cameras

**Chapter Sixteen: Cameras**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The next morning, Derek woke up with a splitting headache. He was rarely one to complain of such a minor occurance as a headache, but the persistant pounding inside of his head was almost too much to handle this time. He felt as though someone was inside his mind, just hammering every nerve system he possessed with tiny hammers- shattering any sanity and resolve that he'd had left for the day.

Groaning, he rolled over onto his back, pressing the palms of his hands flat againt his face. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut beneath his hands, and he swallowed hard as he waited, praying the headache would completely self-destruct itself. Was there such a thing as a suicidal headache?

Typically, he had no such luck.

"Looks like someone's off to a great start to the morning."

Frowning, Derek removed his hands from his face, his eyes immediately trailing to the source of the noise. As his vision became more clear, void of the post-sleep blur that usually existed there, he saw that Casey was lying next to him. She was wide awake, propped up on one elbow as she smiled down at the man beside her. Her hair was still slightly messed up, and she had not changed out of her pajamas yet. Someone else might have called her morning appearance sloppy, but to Derek, she was still gorgeous- free of makeup and all.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked casually, moreso to wake himself up than anything else. "Is Rebecca up yet?"

Casey's hand moved to thread through his hair, and she pushed the brown strands away from his eyes as she sighed, shaking her head.

"Becca's not awake," she informed him, sounding quite tired herself. "I woke up about forty five minutes ago, but I wanted to wait for you to wake up. It's sorta creepy, being down there on my own."

Derek reached up, his hand locking around hers as he moved her fingers from his hair. Their fingers entertwined as he brought their hands down against his side, never allowing his gaze to shift from her own.

"I didn't know you were the type to get creeped out so easily," he noted, faking his surprise. "Poor little Space Case. The world's a tough place at... what, ten am?"

She pulled her fingers from his to smack his shoulder playfully, her eyes gleaming with something like amusement as she shook her head, trying to act offended.

"That's not funny," she informed him, sounding disapproving. "I don't like being in empty houses by myself, you know that."

Derek rolled his eyes at her, unable to stop himself from grinning as he caught sight of the cute little pout that had formated against her full lips. He did not give a verbal response to her statement. Instead, he found himself reaching up, his warm hand sliding around the back of her neck as he drew her to him, his lips falling against hers easily and naturally. He half expected her to push him off, for she was known for her 'hot and cold' instinct, but he was pleasantly surprised when she placed her small palm flat against his cheek, cupping his face against her hand as she kissed him back. He could feel her warm lips moving against his own, and his free hand tugged almost impatiently against the hem of her black tank top.

He might've allowed himself to get a little more carried away if it had not been for the clearing of a thoat from his doorway. Casey was the first to pull back- always keen of what was going on around her- and Derek followed her lead almost reluctantly as he looked up, sending daggers at his best friend.

Andrew's cheeks reddened slightly as he kept his gaze on Derek, leaning casually against the white doorframe.

"Relax, I just got here," he assured them, obviously amused by their reaction. "Derek, Matthew Leary left a voicemail," he said, sounding interested. "He said five twenty tonight is good with him. He told Marcus to be there for six, so he just wants you to come over and run by the camera work with him really quickly beforehand, okay?"

Derek gave a nod of the head, barely listening to what Andrew was telling him. Casey's hand was still cradling his cheek, and the slightest skin to skin contact with her was enough to distract him from his best friend's words. He found himself chewing on the inside of his lip as Casey spoke up, her voice much more collected than Derek could've managed.

"Is Dylan here with you?" she asked, and when Andrew nodded, she continued. "How's he dealing with everything? Losing both of your parents in one day can't be too easy on him."

Andrew glanced warily behind him, no doubt ensuring that the boy was not nearby, and when the hallway came up empty, he slipped inside the bedroom, pushing the door gently shut behind him. Any other time, Derek would've been annoyed by Andrew's presence invading their quality time, but he knew that the topic was much too serious for him to ignore. Dylan really had suffered a horrible loss, and it would be inhumane of Derek to push aside the boy's suffering. He was just a kid after all, and if something were to ever happen to himself or Casey, he would hate for someone to ignore Rebecca's needs.

Andrew leaned back against their solid oak dresser, his palms spread out behind him to steady himself. His lips curled into a frown as he fixed his eyes against the floor, and Derek watched as Andrew sighed, shrugging a shoulder in their direction.

"He's making it seem like he's handling it okay," he offered, his brow creased as he tried to express himself efficiently. "He doesn't talk about it, and he tries not to act upset in front of other people. But I know a suffering kid when I see one, and that kid's got to be in alot of pain."

"Watching both your parents get killed right in front of you?" Casey questioned, with a humourless chuckle. "Yeah, I do imagine he's suffering. The poor kid must be going through hell and back."

Andrew shrugged once more, his expression unreadable.

"Like I said, he doesn't let it show," he repeated, with a note of closure in his voice. "I do wonder what Terrence wanted to talk to him about last night though. Whatever it was seemed like it was pretty important."

Derek nodded in agreement, but Casey could only frown as she looked back and forth between the men, unsure of what was going on. It took Derek a moment to realize that she had been absent during their encounter with Terrence the night before, and he was quick to fill her in.

"Terrence dropped by last night, after you fell asleep," he admitted, giving a casual shrug of the shoulder to show that it was no big deal. "He wanted to see you, but you were already gone to bed, and then he asked if he could see Dylan."

Casey's expression was unreadable, and he could only hope that she would not catch onto the hostility that he had shown towards Terrence the night before. He did not regret being rude to Terrence, for he had good reasoning behind his hatred, but he knew that compassionate, forgiving Casey would not approve of any rudeness.

"I would hope that you treated Terrence with as much welcome as you'd treat any other guest?" she asked, doubt lingering in her voice. "Or would I be right in saying that you used your little grudge against him again?"

Derek blushed, bowing his head as he lifted himself into a sitting position, knees raised before him. Casey glared up at him for only a moment longer, before she pushed herself up next to him, her eyes disbelieving. He knew without a doubt that he was about to face the wrath of an angry, hormonal Casey, and no amount of forewarning could prepare him for something as terrifying as that.

"Derek!" she cried, anger clear in her voice now. "Terrence is trying his best to _help_ us here! His brother was released from prison awhile back, and it was nice of him to care enough to let us know. He could've easily kept that information to himself, but he thought that we might want to know. And for you to be nothing but rude to him is just-"

"Wow," Derek cut her off, turning his head towards Andrew with mock amusement. "Did I miss the part where Casey suffered a blow to the head, Drew?"

Casey's mouth hung open mid-sentence, and the beginnings of rage could be seen forming in her eyes. Derek knew that upsetting Casey purposely was never a good idea, especially when their relationship had been on an up and down basis for days on end now. He had just gotten back on her good side the night before, and while he wanted to do nothing to purposely upset her, he knew that her whole "be nice to Terrence" act was completely unjustified.

"I'm sorry babe, but if you expect me to be nice to the guy who... who..."

"Who what, Derek?"

He frowned for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as he struggled to come up with the right words. How could he convey to her the hatred he felt for Terrence? How could he make her understand that an alliance between him and a Wilson was not at all possible?

"Face it, Derek," he heard her say, her voice strangely proud as she stirred next to him. "You're determined to hate him because of his last name, and because I used to date him. You see him as an automatic threat, and-"

"That's just it, Case!" he cried, his eyes flying open as his anger boiled over the top. She drew back slightly, her eyes widenening a little at her boyfriend's anger, but she said nothing as he continued, one hand threading through his hair to further vent his frustration.

"He's a _threat_," he repeated, fingers grazing his scalp as he used the other to steady himself against the bed beneath him. "I've worked pretty damn hard for the past seven years to keep you guys safe, and I've promised myself that I won't let anything like that happen to you again."

Silence fell between the three of them, and the tension that hung between them was almost unbearable. Derek could see, out of the corner of his eye, Andrew staring down at the floor, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he tried to stay out of the couple's argument.

"Look," he spoke up, in a quiter voice this time. "Case, you know that I love you, and you know that I don't try to upset you. But if you honestly think I'm going to get along with someone who hurt you in the past, you're really due for a reality check. I care about you enough to know who I can and cannot trust, and I know that it's much too early to trust pretty boy Terrence. Maybe in time, if he gives me a reason to like him, I could look past what he's done, but for now..."

He trailed off, shrugging shamelessly as he raised his gaze to meet hers, his eyes completely honest. He was not going to lie to her, and he wasn't going to pretend like Terrence was the next best thing since sliced cheese. He would state his opinion, and if she didn't fully agree with him, then that was her prerogative.

"I'm just trying to protect you," he said finally, his voice wavering slightly under such a strong truth. "If that's so bad, then I'm sorry."

During the moment that she watched him, Derek chanced a glance over at his best friend, who had remained silent for the duration of their little argument. He was still standing against the dresser, and while his head was bowed, Derek could see his eyes fixed almost questioningly on Casey, as though he was waiting just as eagerly for her response as Derek was. He seemed tense, anxious almost, and Derek could not help but find it strange that he seemed almost more concentrated on her than he himself was.

He only looked away when he felt Casey's hand against his back, her smooth palm releasing some of the stress that had been building up inside his veins for the duration of their conversation. When he turned his head to the right to face her, he saw that she was fixing him with that smile- the one that made him feel like a tool for being so completely and utterly whipped by her. He could feel his entire resolve weakening as she looked directly into his eyes, shaking her head at him.

"I shouldn't be so hard on you," she said softly, perhaps sensing his effort to express how he felt. "You're just trying to do what's best for us, and if it takes you some time to adjust to having Terrence around, then that's okay. Who am I to tell you how to feel, right?"

Derek glanced up at Andrew, who was watching the two of them intently, his expression unreadable. As Derek wrapped an arm around Casey's shoulders and pulled her to his chest, Derek almost thought that Andrew's expression was pained, as though the sight of the two of them was almost unbearable to him.

He frowned, glancing away from his best friend before Andrew could realize that he'd noticed anything. He held Casey a little tighter to him, his lips curved into a frown as he tried to push his suspicions far from his mind.

Andrew was his best friend. There was no reason for him to be suspicious when it came to someone as innocent as Drew, right? He had never given the two of them looks like that before. Maybe it was just his imagination overreacting to nothing, or something else entirely. Maybe he had his mind set on something completely different- something that Derek didn't even know about.

He could only hope, for if it were something more than that, he wasn't sure what that he could handle it. With all of the drama in his life, he had learned that Andrew and the girls were all he had in this world- the only people he could trust.

And he desperately wanted to keep it that way.

- - - - - -

Derek arrived at Matthew's precisely on time that evening, laptop ready, his mind perfectly dedicated to the task at hand. He had received a phone call from Matthew at four thirty, and he had confirmed everything with him then. They would meet at Matthew's apartment, and instead of leaving the apartment altogether, they would hide away in the spare bedroom just down the hall. From there, they could keep an eye on the cameras through Derek's laptop, and they could stick close enough to Meena that nothing unexpected could happen to her before they had a chance to get close enough to help.

The door had been left open for Derek when he got there, and he had let himself in instantly, only to find an empty apartment. Matthew had mentioned that he had to pick up Meena from work at five fifteen, so it was understandable that he was not precisely on time. They had until six before Marcus would show up anyway, so he tried not to let it bother him that Matthew still wasn't here. But as hard as he tried, he could not push the nagging thought that Matthew was running just a little bit too late.

Derek paced the length of Matthew's living room, hands placed carefully into his pockets as he chewed anxiously on his lower lip. It was already well past five thirty, and he had arranged to meet Matthew at twenty after five. Matthew had never been overly late for one of their little meetings before, nor had he failed to call if something serious came up. Derek could think of no logical reason as to why his client hadn't shown up to his own apartment. It occured to him briefly that something bad might have happened to Matthew, but he preferred not to think along those lines. The last thing he needed was one of his main clients getting seriously injured in the midst of everything he was already going through.

Sighing, Derek placed his laptop down on the kitchen table. If Matthew was going to be running late, he could at least check out the cameras, right? The two of them would have to make sure that the audio and visual aspects of their plan was going to work, for they could not frame Meena's ex-boyfriend if they had no solid proof. Derek himself had hooked up the cameras the night before, but it was worth it to double check and make sure everything was in place, right? He wasn't one to take big risks when it came to the final moments of a case.

Flipping his laptop open, he slid into the oak chair that sat against the kitchen table, one hand gripping the table's edge as he waited patiently for his computer to load. He drummed his fingers randomly against the edge of the table in no particular pattern until his computer finally loaded. He typed in his nine character password, and smiled a little as a desktop picture of himself and the girls poppped up before him. The picture had been taken a year and a half before at their parent's Canada day celebrations, and there was nothing that Derek enjoyed more than seeing his two girls smiling up at him everytime he flipped his computer open.

Knowing that he had to get down to business, he quickly clicked into the LiveCam option, where he would be able to access the camera that he had hooked up the night before. If it worked properly, he should see a video image of himself sitting at the table, seeing as the top of the line camera was hidden away at the proper angle for this room.

So he was surprised when he clicked the fifth camera option, and an image of a completely different room formed. It was different than the desired room- the one that he sat in now. The walls were a pale blue, as opposed to the dark green walls that currently surrounded him. The floors of the room were hardwood, where they should be white throw carpet, like he could feel under his feet right now.

And for some reason, he suspected that he should be looking at any image other than the one of his own living room at home. On the walls, pictures of himself and Casey could be seen clearly, and he could vaguely make out the footrest of his armchair in the top right corner. The image was still- silent and unchanged, but he knew without a doubt that it was live footage. His glass from that morning was still sitting on the coffee table- indicating that the image was current.

Frowning, he turned around, throwing a glance towards the top of the fridge in the far right corner. His eyes narrowed, and he caught sight of the small silver camera sitting on the top of the fridge, aimed directly at his own face. From what he could understand, Camera number five- the only camera that he had activated right now- should be showing a live image of himself, staring bewildered into the face of the camera in front of him.

Completely confused, he pushed his chair back all the way, nearly causing it to clatter to the floor. He stumbled anxiously towards the tiny camera, his fingers already trembling as he grasped it in his hold, panic shooting through him instantly.

The camera was a fake. Yes, it was a real webcam, and yes- it was even the proper brand.

But there was no small number five printed against the side, like the one that Derek had planted there the day before. When he turned the device in his fingers, the small initialing that linked the camera to him was not present on the bottom half of the camera. The device was completely devoid of the small 'DV' that had been planted on the base since he first bought the camera.

And before he knew what he was doing, the camera had fallen to the floor, and he had practically thrown himself into the kitchen chair again, his fingers moving clumsily over the touchpad mouse.

And he went through every single camera on the page with panicked frenzy, his chest tightening as he caught a live image of his basement, his own bedroom, his daughter's bedroom...

And he knew what was coming before it happened. He knew without a doubt that one of his stolen cameras would show him the absolute truth- the truth that would no doubt kill him. He knew that one of the links would lead him to complete and total destruction.

And sure enough, as the image of his kitchen came into view, he finally saw movement- the only indication that the footage was live at all. This camera's image was present-time, and six people could be seen on the screen before him.

The first was Dylan. The boy was sitting stiff against a white and maple kitchen chair, his hands bound behind his back with what Derek supposed was rope. His back seemed to be twisted into an uncomfortable position, and his head was inclined towards his capturers, his careful eyes watching their every movement with suspicion. His hair was slightly messed up, and from what Derek could tell, his lip seemed to be bleeding. A faint trace of purple lined his right eye, and it was easy to see that he had been in some sort of scuffle with someone.

Derek's eyes moved next to the two girls in the corner, the mere sight of it breaking his heart entirely. Huddled against the corner of the kitchen counter was his girls- his reasons for living- Rebecca and Casey. Casey was situated in the groove between the two counters, her back against the cupboard door. Her hands were tied together in front of her, though it was barely visible- as her little girl- also bound- was sitting directly in front of her- almost in her lap. It was easy to see that Rebecca was terrified, though it was almost impossible to read the look on Casey's face. She was staring straight forwards, an angry sort of look in her eyes as she kept a straight face- obviously trying not to let any sign of weakness slip out.

Forcing his eyes away from the girls, he caught sight of the final familiar face, lying motionless on the ground. Even in the camera's slightly blurred view, Derek could make out the shape of his best friend, lying unconcious on his kitchen floor. He could not see any site of injury, nor could he see any blood, so he assumed that Andrew was just that- knocked out. He had probably been the first target when these men had entered the house- for he was clearly the designated protecter of the family.

Derek knew what would come next. Despite all of the trust he'd held in Matthew, and despite his persistant arguments with himself to ignore that chilling instinct, he knew that Matthew's face would be the one to appear on camera, when he finally focused on one of the captors that currently stood in his kitchen. The second face was completely unfamilar to him, and he chose not to linger on the unknown as he clenched his teeth together, hands balling into fists on top of the table.

Before he could do anything, his cellphone rang, and despite the situation he was currently involved in, he found himself reaching automatically for it. He was not in the mood for chit-chat, but if this had anything to do with his family's situation, it was worth a try to answer it.

"Derek here," he answered shakily, his eyes still watching the screen nervously, as though he thought one of the attackers could act at any second- which they probably could.

"Derek, are you with your brother?"

Derek's brow furrowed at the unfamilar voice, and even moreso at the unusual question. He had expected something big from this phone call- a ransom call, or another deadly threat, but he had not expected this.

"My brother?" he choked out, half ashamed of how weak his voice sounded. "Why would I be with that traitor?"

There was a response on the other end of the line. Something about there being an emergency- something about how _serious_ something was. But the man's words did not register in Derek's mind as he closed the phone abruptly, watching as one of the men on screen- Matthew, he could see- step towards the girls, no doubt upping the tension in the room to an unbearable extreme. His own body tensed as he waited to see which of his girls would endure Matthew's obvious wrath, and his throat closed off with panic as he saw Matthew's unworthy hand close around the collar of Becca's shirt, and haul her up off the ground, her small form leaving the floor easily. Casey let out a panicked cry, and if she could've had any control over her hands, she would've reached for the girl.

Even Dylan tensed as he looked up to see Matthew bend down, his gaze evil as he clenched his hand tighter around the girl's t-shirt. His eyes gleamed with something like pride as he gave a jerk of the head towards the camera, his breathing heavy over the audio-transmission of the computer.

"Tell him," Matthew got out, his voice rushed with the obvious thrill that the rush of adrenaline was giving him. "Say it!"

Rebecca was crying, and even the mere sight of her tears was enough to pull at Derek's heart. He knew that he had to get going- he needed to get to the house as quickly as he possibly could, but he also knew that he should listen to the words Rebecca was about to say before he went anywhere. If her words could help him in the slightest, he would have somewhere to start looking- something to build on. His body was already stiff with tension, but he knew that he would find it in him to move in just a few short moments, when Rebecca had said whatever it was she needed to say.

Somewhere around him, his cellphone was ringing, but he could not be bothered to answer it again as he waited, leaning closer to the laptop with desperate ears.

"I don't want to-"

"Tell him!"

Becca turned towards the camera then, her eyes tear filled as she let out a final sob, shaking her head at the camera.

"Help us, Daddy!" she begged, and as Matthew tugged her violently closer, fear flashed through her eyes. It was obvious that her words had not been the ones Matthew had intended for her to say, and with that in mind, she finally caved, preparing herself for the words that they'd wanted her to say all along.

"It's y-your fault, Daddy," she choked out, an obvious lie. "Y-You did this."

And the laptop was suddenly tucked under his arm, turned off before Derek could even recall pressing the power button. He could not feel his legs moving beneath him, but the scenery around him was changing. Doors with meaningless numbers flew by him on either side, and his feet moved thoughtlessly over four flights of stairs. He was unaware of the path he took to get to his car, but by the time he gave his actions second thought, he was already strapped into the front seat of his car, the hot black pavement flying away beneath him as he sped off towards home.

* * *

**So there were some questions from the last chapter I wanted to answer. **

**1) Is Andrew gay?**

_No, I promise you that Andrew Wallace is not gay. _

**2) Does Andrew like Casey/Is there something going on between them?**

_You can decide that for yourself. _

**I managed to update alot quicker this time, and I think it was in part to the increase in reviews I got! So thanks guys, you all rock. Keep reviewing, and I will update as soon as possible! I know you're going to want a quick update with that cliffhanger. And more about everything that went on will be explained later. **


	17. Frenemies

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Seventeen: Frenemies**

Derek suspected that he must have broken well over fifty driving laws to get home as quickly as he did. The drive home from Matthew's had taken him fifteen minutes the day before, but somehow, today's drive had only taken him roughly six minutes. The entire drive home was one big blur to him, and he could not remember any coherent thought other than that little voice in his head, telling him that he had to get back to his house. If anything were to happen to his family- Andrew included, he wasn't sure how he would ever live with the guilt.

His entire body was shaking with panic as he swung the Eclipse into their double paved driveway, his front right tire swinging easily over the grass. Derek was pretty sure that he had run over one of their garden laterns, but he could not be bothered with it as he shoved the door open, not even stopping to grab his laptop case from the backseat.

He stumbled clumsily towards the front door, his hands falling upon the small white handle of the screendoor. He yanked the first door open, before fumbling for the inside doorknob.

The door was unlocked- something that didn't surprise him, and he found himself racing through the porch, and through the front hallway towards the kitchen. He could only hope that they would still be there, for he could not recall whether or not there had been any sign of an unfamiliar vehicle outside their house.

But as he finally stopped in their kitchen, he felt his throat well up with panic, and his stomach dropped as he realized that his hopes were all in vain. The kitchen was empty, save for the motionless form of Andrew on the floor, spreadeagled in the exact same way he had appeared on camera.

And despite Derek's concern for his girls, Andrew was family too. He had come to regard Andrew as something of a brother, and he cared just as much for this man as he did for his own family.

With this concern in mind, he dropped onto his knees next to Andrew's body, his hands falling upon the stiff shoulders of his best friend.

"Andrew!" he cried, his voice laced with panic. "Drew, c'mon! Wake up!"

Andrew's shoulders remained stiff beneath his grip, and he could feel his own heart pounding frantically against his chest as he shook his head, unwilling to accept what was happening.

"You've been through worse than this, man," he tried to tell the unconcious man, glancing around the body for any signs of obvious trauma. He could find no visible sign of a serious struggle. His lower lip was cut open, and his right cheek seemed slightly swollen, but there was nothing to indicate serious head trauma.

Much to Derek's relief, he began to feel Andrew's shoulder stir beneath his strong grip. The man was starting to come round, his previously closed eyes squinting with confusion into the bright lights of the kitchen above him. He appeared to be slightly confused, as though he didn't have a clue what was going on, and he did not immediately catch sight of his best friend kneeling next to him, concern playing dominantly in his eyes.

A slight sigh escaped Andrew's lips as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, his forehead creasing automatically in recognition of his physical pain. When he sat up a little bit straighter, Derek could see faint traces of blood streaked against the hair on the back of his head, and he knew that Andrew must have been smacked right in the back of the head- an area previously out of Derek's vision.

"Derek..." he managed to get out, his voice heavy with fatigue- groggy with lack of use. "Derek... I tried to stop them. I knocked one down- the bigger one, but the other one came up and got me. He clubbed me over the head with something... I don't know what. Next thing I knew, I was out cold. I couldn't stop them, man. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, unbelieveably sorry. I put the girls first- I really did."

Some part of his mind registered what this meant- that Casey and Becca were truly gone, and that he was already too late. If he had been entirely focused, he might've completely broken down then and there.

But the pain and guilt in his best friend's eyes was much too strong to ignore, and he felt himself shaking his head desperately, trying his best to rearrange his features into something that slightly resembled reassurance.

"I don't blame you, Andrew," he tried, his resolve faltering when the man continued to shake his head. "I mean it, man. You were out cold- it was two on one. There was nothing you could do."

"Called Kirkland," Andrew stammered, practically gasping for air as he pulled his knees up in front of him, both hands resting against his upper legs. His fingers trembled as he grasped uselessly at his jeans, apparantly too out of it to know what he was doing. Derek could tell that panic was playing a major role in Andrew's current frame of mind- something that he had witnessed once before in Casey. He could remember-in too much detail perhaps- the time he had come home from the movies to find Casey huddled into the corner of his old bedroom- terrified after the break-in that Mark and Franz had orchestrated. Andrew seemed to be much more in check with his logical side, but he was clearly affected by what had just happened.

"You're not making any sense," Derek tried to tell him, sinking even further onto the floor to grip Andrew's tense shoulder. His friend jumped quickly at the contact, his fearful eyes landing directly onto Derek's face, and he was quick to draw back- perhaps sensing that physical contact was not best at a time like this.

"I c-called Kirkland," he stammered, his eyes returning blankly to the floor as he shook his head hopelessly. "He didn't get here in time. It's a long drive from Toronto, and I... he..."

His eyes suddenly widened, and his head shot up immediately, eyes panicked as he shook his head at Derek.

"You weren't supposed to know that," he choked out, clearly horrified by what he'd just let slip. "Derek... you gotta go. You've gotta go and find them. Maybe it's not too late... maybe they're not far yet."

There was hope in Andrew's voice, an emotion that Derek wished so desperately he could mirror right now. He would do anything to have even an ounce of the hope that Andrew was apparantly so confident in- would do anything just to be able to envision himself with the girls again.

But deep down, he knew it was too late. He had been through this once before, and he knew that the hardest part of something like this was pinpointing a location. The first time around, he had been lucky enough to be granted several phone calls from Casey's kidnappers. He'd had a motive, an explanation. But now? He had no names, no addresses, no logical explanation as to why this had happened. There was only one thing that he knew for sure, and that was that Matthew Leary was the dirtiest traitor that Derek had ever met. He'd been played- that much was obvious- and in the long run, he knew that he had essentially set up the kidnapping of his own family. Rebecca's words- however forced, had been one hundred percent true.

This was entirely his fault.

Cursing under his breath, he reached into his pocket, his hand closing almost instantly over the small black cellphone that he had with him at all times.

With trembling fingers, he found himself dialing a number that he knew all too well- the number of someone he had hoped he would never have to call again. He would not have called the guy in first place, if he hadn't known that his brother was in town this weekend to visit their parents.

On the third ring, he heard a gruff male voice pick up the phone, sounding half skeptical. Derek couldn't blame him; he'd been the one to add caller ID to the guy's phone package, and this was definitely an unexpected phone call.

"Edwin," he got out, surprised at the relief in his voice upon his brother's greeting. "Ed, I need you to get over here as soon as possible."

He heard a snort in the background, followed by the sound of an amused sounding voice.

"Like I told you, _D," _Edwin sneered, sounding slightly triumphant- as though standing up to his brother gave him some sort of rush. "I'm not thirteen anymore. You can't boss me around like you used to do. I'm not going to-"

"Dammit Edwin, just shut up and listen to me for once!" Derek yelled into the phone, hand clenching tightly around the receiver. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his knuckles whiten, and he was sure that his face had gone blood red. He could feel anger bubbling up inside of him- and he wanted nothing more than to take off. He needed to act- needed to do something that would exert some level of effort towards getting the girls back home. Sitting here on his kitchen floor was doing nothing to contribute to a safe rescue, and the thought of doing absoluely nothing to help them was sickening to him. He couldn't stand the thought of someone else controlling those two, someone hurting them, making them cry...

Closing his eyes, he tried his best to freeze out such negative images. Thinking of the negative would only further delay his search, and he knew that he needed to get started as soon as possible. And judging by the sudden silence on the other end of the line, Edwin was waiting for the start of an explanation.

Taking a deep breath, he reopened his eyes, allowing the oxygen to fill him freely. The sensation of it all was slightly calming to him, and he felt his body relax ever so slightly as he ran a hand through his hair, making a concious effort to keep his voice calm and as free of anger as possible.

"There's an emergency, and I need you to come and take Andrew to the hospital," he explained, surprised at how rational he sounded. "I won't go into detail, but I need you to cover for me, and tell the doctors that he slipped and hit his head, or something. Anything that sounds believeable will do, just make sure they're not suspicious."

Edwin's voice was instantly concerned, and despite his anger towards his brother, he managed to push aside his bitterness in favour of Andrew's health.

"Derek, what's going on?" he asked, and Derek could've sworn that he heard the revving of an engine in the background- something that he took as a positive sign.

"I'll explain it when you get here, just hurry up," he said, and before Edwin could ask anymore questions, he had flipped the phone shut. He was barely aware of the device being shut at all, for he had opened it again rather quickly, his fingers reluctantly tracing over another dreaded number- over the seven digits of someone that he dreaded calling even moreso than his younger brother.

"Terrence," he forced reluctantly, closing his eyes to block out the shocked look that Andrew was fixing him with. "Terrence, I never thought I'd ask you this, but I... I need your help. Get over here as soon as possible."

And here he thought that he'd never hit rock bottom...

- - - - -

Edwin had predictably asked no questions upon his arrival. Derek was sure that he must've had a thousand and one questions firing through his mind like wildfire, but he had successfully managed to keep them all stored safely in the realms of his mind. He had taken one look at Andrew's pale, delirious state, and had claimed that he'd bring Drew back when they were finished at the hospital. Derek had lent him the spare key, for he wasn't really sure if he would be home before the two of them.

In fact, with all of the spare energy and determination he had coursing through his veins, he wasn't sure he would come home at all, unless he had the girls with him.

"What am I looking for again?" Terrence asked blankly, squinting at the laptop that sat steadily on his knees. "I can't find the file."

Derek gripped his hands against the steering wheel tightly, cursing whatever powers had forced him to work with such a complete idiot.

"It's not a file, Terrence," he seethed through gritted teeth. "It's a _program_. Smart-Shot. Just click on the webcam tab in the bottom left corner."

Terrence squinted at the screen once more, his right hand curling around the edge of the laptop as they flew over a bump in the road. Derek knew that he was probably going a little bit too fast- especially when Terrence was trying to operate a laptop in the passenger's seat next to him, but his mind held no room for rational judgement anymore.

"Okay, I've got the webcam program open," Terrence said, leaning back a little, his back pressed straight against the seat. "What am I looking for?"

"Retrieve footage," Derek recalled easily, glancing at the houses that lined the sidestreet that they were currently coasting along. "Go to today's date, and check cameras four through nine. All of those cameras were set up in my house, and if they captured anything that could help us, I want to know about it."

Terrence only nodded, his fingers tracing easily over the touchpad mouse that rested against the front of the laptop. As he clicked the appropriate icon, Derek could see little thumbnails appearing across the screen- different recorded timeframes for each camera. He did not allow his gaze to lift from the road as he nodded towards Terrence, trying his best to be patient.

"Go through the most recently recorded video for each of the cameras," he instructed, slowing down slightly so that he could make the right hand turn onto the highway. "We're heading into Toronto, so we've got a long ride ahead of us. You've got no excuse not to watch every one of those videos _religiously_."

Terrence snuck a glance at Derek out of the corner of his eye, rolling his eyes discretely at his bossy attitude. Derek caught a glimpse of this, but chose not to say anything against Terrence, for once. The guy was actually here to help him this time, and like it or not, he had to be grateful for that.

"Why are we going to Toronto?" Terrence asked, as he brought the appropriate view of the kitchen to the front of the screen. "Wouldn't it be more logical to look in London first?"

The professional side of Derek longed for Andrew's company instead, for his partner knew much more about the field of crime than Terrence did.

Well, the _good_ field of crime, anyway.

But he had to deal with what he was given, so he sighed, lifting one hand through the wheel to comb his fingers through his messy hair. He let out a deep breath, trying to keep his tone neutral as he spoke again.

"These guys will be out of town by now," he said confidently, almost entirely sure on his suspicions. "Trust me on this, Terrence. I've worked as an investigator for long enough to know how these people think."

Something in Derek's voice caught Terrence's attention, for his head suddenly swivelled slightly to look at the man sitting in the driver's seat. His eyes were rounded with something like surprise, and there was a definite note of uncertainty in his voice when he voiced his concerns.

"You're an investigator?" he questioned, apparantly shocked. When Derek merely raised an eyebrow towards the road, Terrence breathed out heavily, shaking his head as he turned his gaze back to the screen.

"Whoah," he sighed stressfully. "That's uh... that's pretty good. Last I heard of, you were in film school or whatever."

Derek hesitated. There was something much too personal about this conversation. He didn't like the idea of having a casual chat with a guy that he couldn't stand, but then- what was the harm, right? If he was going to be stuck in a car with Terrence for a few hours, he might as well make the best of it. Terrence was offering genuine help this time, and past actions aside, the guy deserved some credit for that in Derek's books.

Pushing aside his bitterness, he nodded his head reluctantly, trying to keep his voice free from dislike.

"Yeah, I was in film school," he confirmed, shrugging a shoulder in Terrence's direction. "It just... it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, you know? Don't get me wrong; I love film-making, and I still do a whole lot of it on the side. If anything, the years I spent in film school have helped me and Drew alot over the past few years. But..."

"You liked this better," Terrence finished for him, not looking up from the screen as he nodded. "It's understandable. My... my brother Nathan... he went through a career change when he was younger."

There was some hidden note of reservation in Terrence's voice now, as though he were unsure of whether or not bringing up any of his brothers was a good idea. But Derek approved of Nathan Wilson, and that became obvious to Terrence when he chose not to respond.

Taking his chances, he carried on.

"My family has never really been one for respectable careers," he explained, frowning slightly. "Jake and Mark, they were destined to fail from the beginning. Everyone in our family knew early on that they were going nowhere with their lives. It wasn't a big shock when they landed themselves in jail."

Derek bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from outwardly cursing Mark and Jacob, but he chose to say nothing as Terrence went on.

"Anyway, point is... I think it's cool that you persued something you wanted to do," he offered, shrugging. "You're lucky you had Andrew there to help you. I can't imagine too many investigator's would want to hire someone straight out of jail."

Derek wasn't sure if Terrence's last comment had been a cleverly disguised jab at him, but he chose to believe the best in the guy as he shrugged a shoulder, leaning one elbow against the armrest on the driver's side door.

"Yeah, well Andrew is the sort of person who believes in second chances," he offered, a smidgeon creeping in the underlayer of his words. "He sees through people, or something. He knows their true intentions."

He made sure to shoot Terrence a cautious look at that last sentence, almost in a warning sort of way. He may be temporarily getting along with Terrence, but that didn't mean that he was going to completely forget the past. Andrew may forgive and forget alot easier than necessary, but that certainly didn't mean that he would be doing the same. He always went with his gut instinct, and while it was relatively calm right now, he knew that it was best not to trust again so easily, unless he was given a pretty good reason to do so.

He was unsure of whether or not Terrence wished to respond to his statement. He was almost certain that he had opened his mouth to speak, but before he had a chance to utter a single word, Derek's cellphone began ringing from his jacket pocket. He could feel the vibration of the device tingle against his waist, and he quickly pulled it from his pocket, flipping it open easily.

"Yeah?"

"Someone sounds anxious. Anything wrong?"

Whatever anger had settled within the past hour was suddenly racing through his veins again- the adrenaline pulsing through his body maliciously. He could feel his already strained heart racing against his chest, and his lungs seemed to overflow with air as he clenched his hand into a fist around his cellphone. He was surprised that the phone did not crumble beneath his fist under such pressure, but he ignored this fact as he rushed to respond.

"You bring them back," he managed to choke out, barely paying attention to the pavement that lay ahead of the Eclipse. "You bring them all back. Casey, Becca, Dylan..."

"And put an end to our little game?" the voice breathed out with mock surprise. Derek's blood boiled at the sound of a cold, cruel chuckle.

"I don't think so. Don't worry. Your family is under... er... _tight_ surveillance, should we say?"

"You're a sick freak," Derek seethed, ignoring the fact that he was going nearly one fifty, on a one ten highway. "You are absolutely _sick_. Dylan's sixteen years old. And Becca... Becca's _five_. How can you honestly hurt a five year old? She's just a little _kid_!"

"A surprisingly tolerant kid, actually," the voice informed him, sounding genuinely surprised at this. "She puts up with tough circumstances almost as good as her mother."

At the mention of Casey, Derek's anger boiled completely over the top. In his mind's eye, he could picture a tied up Casey, terrified and possibly bruised, by now. This was an image that was not hard to bring to mind- for it was something that he had been forced to witness once before, during her encounter with the Wilsons seven years ago. He had tried to hard to erase those memories from his mind for years now, and for someone to force such images into his head again...

It just really irked him.

"You don't _touch_ her," he yelled, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Terrence's head snap around to stare at him, wide-eyed and shocked. "Do you_ hear _me, you bastard? If I find out you hurt her, if you bring a single tear to her eyes, I will seriously _mess you up._ I've gone to jail for this girl once, so don't think I wouldn't do it again. I'd gladly face a murder charge to keep her protected, if that's what it took."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Derek was well aware that he had temporarily rendered his enemy speechless. He wanted to smirk at the thought, but he could not bring himself to do so. He merely waited, ignoring the dangerous speed at which he was now driving. The little speed reader had now reached a dangerous one sixty five, and something in his subconcious told him to slow down, but his anger was getting the better of him right now.

"I'll find you," he muttered, his breathing heavy now. "I'm going to track you down, and when I find out who you are, you're a dead man."

From his right, Terrence spoke up quietly then, his voice shocked and frightened.

"Derek..."

Derek ignored him, more focused on the phone call at hand.

"Is that a threat, Venturi?" his enemy asked, sounding half surprised, half amused. "Do you really think you're in any position to threaten me? I've got your entire life in my hands; you should be begging me for mercy, right about now."

"Derek?"

"Derek snorted, ignoring Terrence once again as he tried his best not to burst into laughter. Clearly, this guy didn't know him at all.

"I'm Derek Venturi," he reminded the man, his voice smug and proud. "I've never begged for mercy in my life. Do you honestly think I'd start that practice with _your _sorry butt?"

There was an amused sort of laughter on the other end, and before Derek could respond as such, the man had spoken again.

"I'd suggest you rethink that stubborn pride, before it's too late."

Before he could even process what had been said, the person on the other end had hung up the phone, and Derek was left with the mere sound of an echoing dialtone in his ear. He sat there, stock still, his entire body shaking with a mixture of rage and shock.

"Derek..."

He snapped then. Between the phone call, his current situation, and his own misguided anger, he could not handle Terrence's persistancy.

So he threw the cellphone violently against the floor of the car, hsi face blood red as he whirled around to face the other man.

"What _is_ it, Terrence?!" he practically yelled, unable to help himself.

Terrence didn't even look up at him. Derek's anger didn't even register with him as he pointed a shaky finger towards the screen, towards the traitor that Derek had come to regard as Matthew Leary.

"That's him," he whispered shakily, looking absolutely sick to his stomach. "That's my brother- Jake Wilson."

* * *

**So I haven't been on fanfiction in days, sorry. I need to do some serious catching up on a few stories, but I should be able to be online a bit more now! **

**Reviews are always appreciated, and encouraging. **


	18. Hideouts

**A special thanks to Mallory for helping with this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Eighteen: Hideouts**

If Derek had been furious before, he was nothing short of a crazed man now.

Matthew Leary was Jacob Wilson. Jacob Wilson was Matthew Leary. This was almost as bad as the time he had discovered Terrence's true identity as a Wilson. He could not believe that he had been so easily deluded- so quickly blinded by this guy's apparant charm.

He should've gone with his gut instinct. There had been so many times when he could've questioned his scenario- countless occasions in which he had gotten a bad feeling about "Matthew's" motives. He could remember very clearly, how strange he had found it that someone would come to him with a harassment case at all. Harassment was not their area of expertise- it was usually up to law enforcement to deal with that sort of thing.

And how Matthew had asked for him especially? That had never happened before- not once in the seven years that he had been involved in private investigating. Cases came in, and based on criteria and scheduling, the cases were usually shuffled back and forth between him and Andrew, never specifically assigned on request. Shouldn't he have realized then that something was up?

He felt like the world's biggest idiot. He'd actually helped this guy out. What was more, he'd helped this guy orchestrate the kidnapping of his own family. If he had been just a little bit sharper, just a little bit keener, he might've been able to save Rebecca and Casey from what he knew would be a whole lot of pain.

But because of him, the girls were gone, and he knew that he would never forgive himself if he were to never get them back again.

"They're not here," Derek muttered, frustrated with himself as he leaned against the blue vinyl siding of the house that they had been checking out. The house belonged to Jacob, and it was a place that Derek had hoped to never visit again. This was the same house that Franz and Mark had held Casey captive in years before, and while he understood that it was a long shot, he had been hoping that they may have returned to the same hideout once again.

"Jacob never comes here," Terrence explained, his hair blowing gently in the wind as he leaned against the wall next to Derek. "He rents the house out sometimes, but the place has been empty for months. He doesn't have the money to keep it running well, so nobody ever rents for very long. My brother's not exactly the best landlord out there, if you couldn't tell that already."

Derek's gaze scanned over the chipped paint and the dying grass that took immediate beauty from the house to begin with. He could recall that the front porch was falling apart, and he was almost certain that he had seen a boarded up window around the back. It was obvious that only the desperate could live here.

And apparantly, even Jacob Wilson wasn't _that_ desperate, hostages and all.

He could feel his hands clenching into fists beside him, ready to strike anything and everything that tried to get in his way of getting his girls back. His entire body felt like it was on fire- a live wire of seemingly endless energy, of unconditional and dedicated devotion to getting those two back.

"Tell me you're not in on this," he was suddenly murmering, his voice almost lost to the cool spring wind. From the corner of his eye, he saw Terrence incline his head slightly in Derek's direction, but he could not be bothered to return the gaze.

"I'm more than willing to go this alone, if you're gonna end up turning on me in the end," he said, narrowing his eyes against the tall maple that sat quietly in the corner of the yard. "I know what happened the last time we trusted you. It took Casey a really long time to get over what happened, and I'm not willing to chance a repeat of that. Not with something this important."

Terrence quickly shook his head, his eyes rounded as he pushed himself away from the wall. Derek watched him warily as he took a step in front of him, his expression as serious as anything.

"Dude, you need to trust me on this one," he said quietly, his voice almost begging now. "I've changed- I really have. I screwed up the last time around, and no amount of apologizing can take back that betrayal. But I really, _really_ like Casey, and... and you're not even so bad, I guess."

Derek was silent for a moment as Terrence trailed off, unsure of what else to say to change Derek's mind. He waited while Derek thought hard, finally shaking his head as he looked back up at Terrence.

"That was one too many _reallys_, when it comes to my girlfriend, but you'll learn," he said, trying to sound serious as he cracked a very small smile, his lips showing clear signs of forced exertion. "I really do need the help though, so I'm going to give you a chance."

Terrence's face brightened with pleasant surprise, and the relief that lifted from his face was immediate. He fixed Derek with a grateful look, but when he opened his mouth to speak, Derek quickly interrupted him.

"I mean it, Wilson," he threatened, holding up a cautious hand in the man's direction. "You do anything to screw this up, anything at all, and you're a dead man."

Before he could utter another word, his cellphone rang in his jacket pocket, and he reached for it instantly, his hand snapping it open before he even made the concious decision to do so.

"Casey?" he breathed out hopefully, but he was disappointed when a younger, more masculine voice broke through on the other line.

"It's Edwin," his brother said somewhat tightly, bitterness still lining his voice beneath the sympathy. "I just wanted to tell you that Andrew's doing fine. I made up a cover story at the hospital, so they didn't suspect anything. He's just got to take it easy for the next couple of days."

Derek breathed out a sigh of relief for his best friend, leaning back against the siding of the house behind him. Terrence was watching him with a curious look, but he ignored him as he responded to his brother's statement.

"I need you to stay with him until I get back," Derek said, asking more than he was telling. "Drew can't stay there by himself if he's weak like that, and especially not with people after us."

"People after you?" Edwin repeated, sounding worried. "Derek, what's going on? Andrew said he wasn't allowed to tell me without your permission, and I-"

"I've got to go," Derek rushed, not wanting to go into detail about this. "Stay with him. I'll see you when I get there."

"But Derek,"

"Thanks Ed."

Before his brother could fit another word in, he had ended the call, and was watching hazily as the 'call ended' message blinked at him a couple of times. He waited until the white call screen blinked off, and he felt his heart squeeze tightly as he caught sight of his background picture; a snap he had gotten on his cell of Casey and himself, a couple of months back. Her arms were around his neck as he struggled to hold the camera out far enough, and huge smiles were plastered across both of their faces as they tried their best not to laugh at the situation. He could remember how carefree that moment had been, how void of concern, and he wished with all of his heart that he could just go back in time, to when everything was much simpler, so much more manageable.

"My brother may be a criminal, but he's not a dumb one," Terrence said next to him, breaking his train of thought. "Something tells me he won't be in the city just yet. He'd want to hide low for a little while... you know, play it cool. I don't think he'd be in Toronto yet."

Derek felt himself scowling at the green grass below his feet, angry with no one in particular, and at everything all at once.

"Well then where do you suggest he went, oh wise one?" he snapped bitterly, his gaze never lifting from the blades of grass beneath him. "London would be a pretty idiotic choice of a hideout, and if you say he's not in Toronto..."

Terrence was silent in mutual thought for a moment, his teeth tugging on his lower lip as he thought hard about the scenario. Derek lifted his head to see the man standing in contemplation, his eyes distracted and thoughtful, as though he were running through every last possibility in his mind. If there was one thing that Derek was grateful for, it was that he had one of the bad guys on his side. Sure, Terrence had changed, but he had been on the other side of the fence. He had been at his brother and cousin's side as they had plotted their revenge against Derek and Casey. He had overheard ideas of hideouts, methods of avoidance...

And he couldn't help but feel as though all of that would come in handy to him later on down the line. After all, where could you go wrong when you had insight from _both_ sides, right?

"Kingston," Terrence said suddenly, his head lifting in anticipation. Derek remained silent, waiting, and Terrence turned to him with slightly hopeful eyes, nodding his head up and down excitedly.

"They could be in Kingston," he repeated, voice shaking a little all of a sudden. "Franz... his parents lived there before they died. They left the house to my younger cousin, but he's in Toronto in university. The place would be completely empty right now. Jake would have no problem getting in there if he really wanted to. He knows our cousin never goes there anymore."

"Do you think it's worth a shot?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow hopefully. "Is there really any chance they would've gone there?"

Terrence didn't really think about this one. He shrugged a shoulder thoughtlessly, his lower lip sticking out into something of a pout in response.

"Anything is worth a shot, if it means getting them back," he reminded Derek, raising an eyebrow. "Right?"

Derek rather thought that there was too much affection in Terrence's voice with regards to his girlfriend, but he knew that now was not the time to get jealous over his girlfriend's ex. That was all over with, all in the past. Casey had chosen him, and he knew that no amount of flirting and wishing on Terrence Wilson's part could ever change what they shared together.

And even if it could, today was definitely not the right day to be getting worked up over it. He needed to focus on getting his girls back, and until he accomplished that, there was no room for petty worries and concerns.

- - - -

"One diet coke, two ice cubes, bendy straw," Edwin said pleasantly, as he lowered a tall, blue drinking glass onto the coffee table that sat in front of the couch.

Straightening up, he saw an amused grin playing on Andrew's lips as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his movements somewhat weak and laggy.

"I'm injured, Edwin; not dying," he reminded him, chuckling with amusement as he wrapped a hand around the glass. "Besides, I thought you hated being ordered around, or something? All I asked you for was a drink. I didn't need all this jazz."

Any trace of a smile disappeared off of the younger man's lips, and he stuffed both hands into his jeans pockets, shrugging his shoulders tightly.

"I don't take orders from my brother," he corrected Andrew, as though this made a world of difference. "You asked me to get you a drink; Derek orders me to do something, and then tells me how he wants it done."

Taking the bendy straw between his lips, Andrew took a small sip of his soda, his eyebrows bunched together thoughtfully as he gave the matter some thought. He had always known that Derek had been a bit of a tyrant to his brother as a teenager, but hadn't Edwin gotten over that by now?

"Your brother is just... he's unique," Andrew excused, trying to hide the quirk of a smile that began to work its way onto his lips at that very true statement. "He's different than anyone else, I think. I would think that his own brother would know that more than anyone."

Edwin's eyes were suddenly void of any pleasantries, and he was scowling at his brother's friend darkly, shaking his head.

"It's not hard to see he's got you wrapped around his little finger too," he observed, as though this had been expected. "Just like he's got Casey hanging onto his every word. Just like he always got our parents to believe anything that _he_ said. The guy is totally self-centric, Andrew. I don't know how you and Case put up with him on a daily basis."

There was bitterness in Edwin's voice, so much that Andrew wanted to outwardly cringe at the statement. How could someone hold such resentment for their own brother?

"You can't really hate him that much, Edwin," he observed, shaking his head knowingly. "Deep down, I know you still care about him. He's your brother, after all."

"That's no excuse for him to boss me around like he does," Edwin said darkly, shrugging as he dropped down into the leather armchair, propping his feet up on the kickstand in front of him.

"I'm not saying I don't care about him," he corrected almost immediately after, and he sounded as though he wanted to make that much completely clear with Andrew. "But the way he thinks... it just really bugs me. And to be honest, I know that Casey and Becca would be here right now if it wasn't for him."

Andrew bit the inside of his mouth to keep from cursing then and there, and his free hand clenched into a fist as he struggled not to violently defend his friend. He knew that he would have to settle things with a straight head on his shoulders, and it was only that mentality that caused him to swallow back his doubts, and speak up.

"That's pretty harsh, don't you think?" he observed, shaking his head. "There's nothing that Derek cares about more in this world than his girls. Anyone with half a brain would know that."

Edwin paused for a moment, giving the matter some thought. Andrew took a small sip of his soda in the man's silence, letting the straw fall loosely from his lips as he awaited a response. Edwin's dark hair fell over his eyes as he let one shoulder shrug into the air carelessly, a sign that there had been no change in Edwin's thought train.

"What sort of person stands by and lets his own girlfriend get kidnapped?"

Andrew could feel rage shooting through every last vein in his body, pulsating unbearably throughout his very being. Edwin had no idea what he was talking about, and there was no amount of words that could ever explain how personal Edwin was reaching into Andrew's very own emotions, even if he had no idea he was doing so.

"If Derek really cared, they wouldn't be missing right now," Edwin commented, shaking his head. "I told him the last time we talked that he was going about this the wrong way. I told him that it'd be best to leave this to the cops. They're trained to handle this sort of thing."

"And so is he," Andrew butted in, straightening up slightly as he gave Edwin a pointed look. The younger man stumbled on this for a moment, before shaking his head again, indicating that something that Andrew had said was incorrect, in his books.

"I'm not going to sit here and argue with anyone," he dismissed, clearly not wanting to bother with such petty things. "My brother has always been set in his ways, and it's not too hard to see he's got you completely fooled too. So it's fine, I'll stay here for _your _safety, but I don't owe my brother a damn thing."

And without a word, Edwin stood up, grabbing his own drink off the coffee table, and storming off into the kitchen where he could sit in silence.

* * *

**Short, but holds essential hints about Andrew, and another future character, if you read between the lines.**

**Thanks again to everyone who is reviewing! Keep it up! I'll try and update soon, and more about Andrew WILL be revealed. **

**By the way, I'm only going to keep the current poll open for another day or two- probably until my next update, and let me tell you.. the results are very interesting. By the looks of it, I'm going to need to throw out some more clues for you guys in the next chapter! :)**


	19. Mustang

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Nineteen: Mustang**

It was well past two in the morning by the time Derek and Terrence pulled up in the driveway of the Kirkland's old house. The driveway was paved, and as they rolled easily into their parking spot, Derek could not help but feel slightly taken aback by the house that sat before him. Unlike the appearance of the first house that they had visited, this house was actually presentable, and actually had a sort of family appeal to it. Instead of borded up windows, stood grand, elegant ones, rectangular shaped. The glass on them was clean, and certainly not cracked in the slightest.

Unlike the chipped blue paint of Jacob's house, this house was coated with white vinyl siding, none of which was peeling or rotting away. The front garden, though a little bit overgrown, had the look of a real sort of garden, to Derek, and couldn't help but fall under the impression that someone had been an avid gardener, at some point. Beautiful, elegant flowers that Derek would never know the names of were blooming within rectangular flowerbeds that lined the front of the house, and the tall maple trees that stood out front seemed to shadow every part of the garden except the flowerbeds, as though someone had planned it that way.

It was not at all hard for Derek to imagine a family thrown into the mix here. He could almost picture it; a mother, kneeling above the once gorgeous flower beds, a father standing on the white, wooden porch, watching as a child or two played out front on their bikes.

Opening his car door, Derek leaned one arm against the top of the car, letting out a surprised sigh.

"I've gotta say," he noted, shaking his head. "It's much more welcoming than your brother's place."

Stepping out of the car, Terrence pushed his door shut, his eyes fixed on the house as he took a step towards it.

"I always loved coming here," he noted, sounding slightly nostalgic. "Our house in BC was rundown and musty, even worse than Jacob's place, to be honest."

Derek could not imagine a fate worse than living in Jacob's rundown excuse for a house, and he said nothing as he pushed his car door closed, taking a couple of steps forwards to meet with Terrence around the front of the car. They both looked up at the place, hands in their pockets, until a voice from the far right drew their attention away abruptly.

"Are you looking for that Wilson boy?"

Both men turned, wondering who could possibly be out this late at night, only to have their eyes fall on a younger looking male, who looked to be only eighteen or nineteen. He was standing in the next driveway over, leaning against a fairly new looking, silver car. He wore blue striped pajama pants and a white hoodie, and the cigarette fixed in his hands was enough reasoning behind his late night excursion to the outdoors. His brown hair was messy, almost as though he had been asleep prior to his cigarette break, and he nodded towards the house before them, looking semi-interested.

"He was here about three hours ago," he informed them, sounding sleepy. "Had his wife and kids with him."

"Wife and kids?" Terrence asked, sending a cautious look in Derek's direction. "Are you sure it was..."

"Positive," the guy said, shrugging carelessly. "I remember seeing his face all over the papers years ago, when he first got thrown in jail. It's not too often a local is linked to anything scandalous, around here. My parents told me all about how Franz Kirkland's cousin had gotten thrown in jail."

The guy was set on his words, that was for sure, so Terrence dropped the matter, willing to take the man's word that it had, indeed, been his brother.

"Okay, so it was Jake," he said, shaking his head dismissively. "Are you sure they were his wife and kids, though?"

The man took a quick puff of his cigarette, squinting forwards towards the dim, orange glow of the streetlight. It took him a moment, but he nodded slowly, indicating that this was true.

"Little girl, maybe five years old," he observed, and Derek thanked the dark skies for hiding his paling cheeks so efficiently. "The boy was... oh, I dunno, could'a been thirteen or so."

"And his... his wife," Derek said, the words strange to his lips. "What about his wife?"

The man smirked, taking another quick puff of his smoke, before dropping it to the ground, and stepping on it squarely with his right heel. He watched it die out for a moment, before turning back to Derek with an amused-sounding laugh.

"She was a real pretty thing," he observed, not noticing the clenching of Derek's fists beside him. "Brunette, maybe in her late twenties. Didn't look all that happy to be there, to be honest. None of them did."

"Were you talking to them?" Terrence asked, as they both took a couple of steps towards the next driveway, stopping short at the white, even fence that stood between them. When the young man nodded in response, Terrence pressed his palms against the fence, looking slightly more interested.

"Did they mention where they were going?"

A shake of the head signalled that they hadn't, and Derek felt his hopes diminish slightly under this new revelation. How were they ever going to find Casey, if nobody could tell them where they had gone? Jacob was always one step ahead of them, keeping ahead of the game by just a few short hours.

"Said he'd be back later this week," he observed, shrugging carelessly as he folded his arms across his chest, apparantly cold now. "I dunno; he's a real quiet guy, that one. Sorta creeps me out, if you know what I'm saying. He's got a weird feel about him."

"Craig!" came a voice from inside the house, and all three men turned towards a second story window, where the faint outline of a woman could be made out. The boy turned back towards Derek and Terrence, a dark scowl visible on his features even through the darkness before them. If Derek could see his face more clearly, he might've been able to prove his suspicions that the guy was blushing.

"Put that smoke out, and get back in the house!" the female voice called again, sounding angry. "I swear, if your father knew you were still stuck on that filthy habit, he'd have your head."

Derek had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as the boy- Craig, he supposed- bowed his head with embarassment, not bothering to tell his mother that he had already finished his cigarette. There was the faint thud from somewhere above them, signalling that a window had been pushed closed, and Craig scuffed his foot against the pavement below his sneaker, looking back up at the men sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah," he offered, sounding much less confident in himself now. "Look, all I can tell you is that they left here a good hour and a half ago. Black car- Mustang."

"Any idea of a year?" Derek asked, kicking into professional mode automatically. "Liscense plate number, even?"

The guy looked slightly taken aback by this sudden need for information, but he gave a slight nod of the head, glancing back and forth between Derek and Terrence skeptically.

"It was a 2007 model," he recalled, shrugging. "I couldn't tell you the liscense plate number though. Never paid it much attention; didn't seem like a big deal, at the time. All I know is they went "

And without another word, the boy turned, and ran off towards the front porch of his house, jogging up the wooden steps towards his front door. Derek waited patiently as he heard the door opening up, and he waited until the faint thud of the door could be heard closing again, indicating that Craig had gone back inside the house. Both him and Terrence remained completely silent as they listened to the sound of muffled yelling coming from the house, indicating that the young man was getting yet another lecture from his overprotective, angered mother.

When the sounds of the yelling grew incomprehensible, Terrence sighed, leaning back against Derek's Eclipse with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets. He blew out a stressful breath, his forehead wrinkled thoughtfully as he shook his head with frustration.

"That was useless," he commented, sounding abruptly put out.

For the first time to his memory, Derek ignored the fact that someone was leaning against his car without permission, and he fell into place next to Terrence, folding his arms across his chest pointedly. His brow was creased as he thought hard, shaking his head with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Not necessarily," he commented, and when Terrence gave him a curious look, he raised a hand to his chin, one finger tracing his skin thoughtfully. "This kid just gave us enough information to start looking for your brother."

Terrence raised an eyebrow, looking strongly unconvinced, and he fixed Derek with a hopeful look.

"How so?" he questioned, wanting solid proof of this.

Wishing once again that he was working with his own partner, Derek pushed himself away from the car, pacing the length of the driveway slowly, running a hand through his long, brown hair.

"Craig told us that your brother is driving a 2007 Mustang, right?" he said, and when Terrence muttered a quick note of agreement, Derek turned, pacing back towards him with his eyes fixed on the dark pavement of the driveway beneath his feet.

"Considering that your brother has been in prison for the past several years, that leads me to believe that the car was a recent gain, right?"

Terrence hesitated, but nodded his head, scratching his chin thoughtfully as he squinted at the ground.

"Yeah, he was driving a Protege when he got tossed in jail," he recalled, thinking hard. "A silver one, from what I can remember. My aunt and uncle had the ownership transferred to my younger cousin. He was only eighteen at the time, so he was pretty happy about it, I guess."

Derek paid no attention to most of this statement- instead, his focus was on the idea that Jacob had not been driving the Mustang before he had been released from prison. His old car had been sold to his aunt and uncle after his imprisonment, leaving him without a car after his release. And because of this, that had meant one thing.

"Jacob bought a new car within the past three weeks," he said blatantly, shrugging one shoulder. "He's only been out of jail twenty-two days, so that means that the car has to be a recent gain for him, right?"

Terrence nodded slowly, biting his lip gently as he thought this through.

"I guess so, yeah."

"And honestly, how many people do you think buy Mustangs in the run of three weeks in Ontario?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he paced towards Craig's fence again. "Maybe a few, but I'm willing to bet they're all newer models. The number of 2007 models sold this month has to be pretty low, and if we can get ahold of a record of those buyers,"

"-we can get the liscense plate number," Terrence finished for him, sounding newly confident in Derek's findings. "That's brilliant, dude. Do you think you could get ahold of those records, or whatever?"

Derek quickly flipped his cellphone open, already dialing his home phone number as he swung himself back into the driver's seat of the car, determined.

"I can if my partner cooperates," he said, and as Terrence slid into his own seat, he slammed the door, watching as Derek smirked into the speaker of the phone.

"Ed, I need you to put Drew on the line for me," was all he said, sounding freshly revitalized. "I've got a little mission for him, when he gets back on his feet again."

- - - -

It was nine thirty in the morning when Derek and Terrence made their way back into London the next morning. As both men trudged begrudgingly into the house with tired eyes and heavy lids, Derek called out to whoever may be present at the time, signalling that they had made it home alright. Despite the hope and positivity that he had felt last night, he could hear fatigue and longing in his voice, and he knew that he must sound like the most desperate man on earth right about now. He had not slept in over twenty-four hours now, and an entire night of driving, added in with the kidnapping of his family did not make for a very pleasant sort of guy. And while he would not give up his hope for the three hostages, he could not help but feel a slight twinge of doubt.

Terrence and Derek made their way into the living room, barely able to lift their feet from the carpeted floor beneath them. Terrence collapsed into the first available armchair, his eyes falling closed as he let his head fall onto his arm, and Derek himself slumped immediately against the nearest wall, tilting his head back as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Edwin, who had been sitting impatiently on the couch upon their entrance, immediately pushed himself up off of the couch and towards his older brother.

"Derek," Edwin said haphazardly, stumbling to a stop before them. "Did you find them? Casey and the kids, that is?"

Derek shook his head, feeling his eyelids fighting against him as he struggled to open his eyes wider and search for Andrew. He wanted to make sure that his best friend was really okay, since he had taken off so quickly the night before.

But he didn't even have the energy to turn his head back towards the couch, and so he made a non-commital noise in the back of his throat, sighing sleepily.

"Got a few leads, but nothing big," he murmered, stumbling over a couple of his words. "They're driving a black Mustang; 2007 model. They went to Kingston."

Edwin raised an eyebrow with surprise, drawing back from Derek slightly. He was just about to question this when another voice spoke up from across the room, much more energized than anyone else.

"I'm guessing that you want me to run a search on the car, right?" came the voice of Andrew, sounding pleasantly surprised. "It'll come in handy if we can get a liscense plate. I've got a couple of friends in law enforcement that might be able to do a bit of tracking for us."

"No," Derek said instantly, a slight note of panic to his voice as his eyes shot open as far as they possibly could in their fatigued stupor. His sleepy eyes settled on Drew, who was seated upright on the couch, and he shook his head desperately, indicating that he would not give his permission for such a thing.

"No cops, remember?"

"Oh, here we go," Edwin muttered, a sudden note of bitterness to his voice again as he folded his arms, drawing back slightly. "Honestly Derek, do you think now is the time to be playing the hero? Casey and Rebecca's _lives_ are at stake, not to mention that Bennett kid. Could you honestly live with yourself if they died because of you?"

He was more awake than he had been all along now, and if he did not fear he might've fallen asleep if he narrowed his eyes, he would've done so. Edwin was beginning to get that snarky edge that he'd developed on the night of their fight, and he was starting to use that tone of voice that indicated he had changed, over the years. He was no longer the wimpy pushover that Derek had bossed around as a kid. Instead, he was determined and confident, self-sufficient and independant. He clearly had no problem voicing his opinion on the things that mattered to him, and apparantly, this mattered.

"The police could probably track Jacob down within two or three days flat, Derek," Edwin reminded him, trying to talk some reason into his older brother. "No man is an island, bro."

Derek narrowed his eyes, giving a cold sort of smirk towards the man.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil, but I think me and Drew were doing just fine without your words of wisdom."

Edwin's eyes narrowed dangerously as his black hair fell across his forehead, and Andrew immediately pushed himself up off of the couch, darting as quickly as possible towards the two men. He stood next to them, directly betweem them, his eyes darting back and forth between the two brothers.

"You guys can't afford to be fighting right now," he reminded them, with a nod towards the window. "Casey, Becca, and Dylan are all out there somewhere, and unless we all work together, we're never going to get them back, okay?"

Neither Venturi brother said a word, but Derek got the feeling that they both understood just how much sense Andrew was making. As much as their opinions varied on the matter, they both needed to push past their differences and see sense, if they ever wanted a safe return for the missing.

Before either of them could verbally agree, however, Andrew had turned towards Edwin, drawing in a deep breath as a withdrawn look crossed over his features.

"Edwin, you need to trust that me and Derek know what we're doing when it comes to this stuff," he informed him, shaking his head as Edwin opened his mouth to speak. "And before you argue with me, I just want you to know that Derek does have a good point. If we involve the cops, Jacob will have no reason to keep the girls around anymore. The last thing that guy wants is a nationwide manhunt on his hands, and if we go to the cops, that's exactly what we're setting ourselves up for."

Edwin scowled, clearly disageeing with this theory, but he did not get a chance to respond as Andrew turned on his best friend, much more reservation in his eyes as he faced the more moody and edgy of the brothers.

"Derek, I can get some more discrete tracking done on the liscense plate number," he assured him, sensing Derek's discomfort with the law enforcement. "Nobody I go to will start anything, okay?"

Derek's eyes met his pleadingly, desperate for reassurance on this. It was obviou that he didn't quite believe in complete and total secrecy when it came to the law enforcement, and it was even more obvious that Casey and Becca's lives were not something that he was willing to bank on quite so freely.

But before he could voice anymore of his concerns, the phone was ringing on the endtable across the living room. Edwin, Andrew, and Derek all glanced over towards the source of the noise hesitantly, all wondering the exact same thing; whether or not this phone call would give them anymore information on Jacob Wilson's whereabouts than they already had. As much as Derek hoped that it _was_ Jacob Wilson, he could not help but be a bit reluctant to speak with the man, also. After all, what if it was Jacob calling with _bad_ news, with a confirmation that he had done the worst?

Terrence, who had dozed off in the armchair, was the closest to the endtable, and when he saw the expectant and hesitant stares that the others were fixing him with, he sighed and shook his head, straightening up slightly in his chair.

"Apparantly, I'll get it," he said sarcasitcally, before picking the phone up out of its cradle, and squinting down at the caller ID. His brow creased as a frown graced his lips, and he peered up at the men questioningly, appearing confused.

"Anyone know why the school board would be calling here?"

Derek's stomach turned as he realized that the school board could be calling for one of two things; Casey's prolonged absence from work, or Rebecca's equally long absence from school. Neither conversation was one that he was willing, nor prepared, to face and he found himself staring at Terrence uncertainly, not sure of what he should do in this situation. Answering that call could mean alot of unnecessary trouble on their behalf, and trouble was something that he truly needed nothing more of in his life.

But even in his contemplation, he could see the look dawning across his brother's face in front of him, barely visible out of the corner of his eye. The wheels were practically turning in Edwin's head, he could tell, and while he did not choose to verbally call Edwin out on such a suspicious looking expression, he knew that Edwin had just formulated some sort of an idea- a vendetta, of sorts.

And already, he knew that he wouldn't like it.

* * *

**So as you can tell, Edwin is forming some sort of a plan to take things into his own hands. And you probably already know that this can lead to nothing good. **

**On another note, I really don't like the way this chapter turned out, but this was what came out, and if I chose to rewrite it, I might never get to update. I've been so busy with school lately, and I have been focusing more on my NaNoWriMo than anything else. I finished up with that yesterday though, and I'm going to try and focus more on this. Reviews have been down, which is discouraging, so if you're still reading, I'd love to know. **

**Thanks! Let me know what you thought. Oh, and poll results are up! Check it out. Results were... interesting. **


	20. Calls

**Read the ending author's note. Contains important information about the next chapter, some character development, and the previous and next polls!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty: Calls**

All four of the men were still standing stock still, staring at the phone as though it were some sort of foreign object that they were afraid to touch. It was on its seventh ring now, and it was becoming quite obvious that whoever was on the other line was not going to give up this easily.

"Derek, you've gotta answer it," Andrew told him, nodding towards the phone. "Maybe it's nothing bad."

"Yeah, and maybe Edwin's _not_ being a total prick," Derek mocked, his voice filled with panic. "Maybe the sky _isn't_ blue, right? Come on, Drew. Even _you_ have to know that this call will lead to nothing good."

Edwin rolled his eyes, folding his arms pointedly across his chest.

"Yeah, because your useless ranting is doing us _wonders_, bro."

Derek turned his anger back to his younger brother now, eyes filled with indescribable anger towards the man.

"If you don't shut up, I swear to God I'll-"

"You'll what, huh? Threaten me some more? Been there, done that."

"You're getting way in over your head here," Derek seethed, clenching his fists together at his sides.

Edwin took no notice of his anger as he gave a hearty sort of laugh, shaking his head smugly.

"Derek Venturi- threatening guys everywhere since 1990," he joked, in a commercial style sort of voice. "Some malfunctions include; general bitchiness, mood swings, complete and total selfishness-"

"You guys!" Andrew finally yelled, stepping between them. He pressed a hand to each of their chests, pushing them apart slightly, before nodding towards the armchair that Terrence was situated in. Derek might have ignored him and kept on arguing with Edwin, if he didn't notice that Terrence had answered the phone, and was covering one ear with his hand in a sad attempt to hear the person who was on the other line. When he noticed that the yelling had stopped, he shot the men a dirty look, shaking his head dismissively.

"You're looking for who?" Terrence was asking, and Derek watched from the corner of his eye as Edwin pushed Andrew's wrist away half-heartedly, shaking his head coldly at him.

"I can fight my own battles, okay?" Edwin whispered, though there was not as much bitterness reserved in his voice for Andrew. "Just keep your hands off my chest, if you don't mind. I don't know about you, but other men touching my chest doesn't exactly float my boat. I'm not gay."

Andrew hesitated at Edwin's comment, but he quickly dropped his hand away from both of them, taking a step backwards with folded arms. He fell silent now, though he still eyed the brothers warily- as though he were concerned that they would break into another fight then and there.

Before Derek realized what was happening, Terrence was leaning forwards in his armchair, holding the cordless phone out in Derek's direction. He said nothing, but Derek knew enough to wrap his hand around the phone, ignoring the shallowing of his breathing as he tried his best to fight back his nerves. He could feel his heart racing against his chest, and it was with extreme reluctance that he held the phone against his ear, and spoke up.

"Derek here," he greeted, preparing himself for the worst. "Who is this?"

"It's Mr. Simpson calling from the school board," came a deep voice on the other end, one that Derek was sure he had heard at least once or twice over the years- probably from telephone calls made to Casey. "I'm just doing a follow-up call on your girlfriend. Your friend says she isn't around right now?"

Derek shot Andrew a nervous look from the corner of his eye, and even the previously indifferent Edwin was eyeing him nervously at this point. He could only imagine how stressful it must be for the three of them, not knowig what was going on on the other line, and so he thought hard, trying his best to respond in such a way that they knew what the general reasoning behind the phone call was.

"Casey is still out of town," he said, for this wasn't a complete lie. "Her father is really sick right now, and she had to fly up to New York last week to stay with him. She hasn't been back here in over a week now."

"Is that so?" came the disapproving voice of Mr. Simpson, and Derek was almost positive that there was a note of negativity in his voice. "And what about your daughter, sir? Rebecca Venturi? She attends one of the primary schools in our district, and we've received word that she's been out of class for the same amount of time as her mother has."

Derek's body was tense with anxiety, and he felt his heart betraying him as it raced at an uneven pace against his chest. His mouth was dry, and for what might have been the first time in his entire life, he did not know what to say. He scraped at every last corner of his mind, but he could not even find it in him to give a plausible sort of excuse.

"You can understand that we need to take these sorts of things seriously, I assume?" Mr. Simpson asked, sounding as though he did not trust Derek in the slightest.

Derek gulped back his fears, his eyes closed as he gave a single nod of the head to no one in particular.

"Yes sir," he confirmed, surprised that he was able to keep his voice steady in such dire circumstances. "I know that this must seem really suspicious, but Becca's really sick right now, and-"

"Relax, Mr. Venturi," he was suddenly reassuring him, a certain note of sympathy and regret in his voice now. "I'm not trying to alarm you. I just wanted to check up on the two of them, that's all. The schools were concerned."

Some of his worry evaporated, but by no means did it disappear entirely. He could still feel the anxiety washing over him as he cleared his throat, reluctantly speaking up.

"All I can tell you is that... Rebecca, she'll be back in class soon," he said, praying to God that his promise would prove to be genuine. "And Casey..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, unable to tolerate the very idea of Casey never returning to him. For now, he wasn't even going to _consider_ the possibility, for such a future could never exist, right?

"Casey will be back whenever her father is better," he got out, and he opened his eyes when he felt a strong hand against his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder to see Andrew standing there, and he gave his best friend a reassuring nod, before looking straight on again.

"Thanks for the concern," was all he said, before pressing the end button and ending the call. The three men around him stood patiently, waiting for a response, but all he managed to do was throw the phone down agressively against the couch, collapsing into a nearby armchair weakly. He pressed his hands to his forehead, his heavy lids shutting beneath his hands as he rubbed his temple lightly.

"Nobody tell the school board anything, if you answer one of their calls," he instructed angrily, shaking his head. "Checking up on them, honestly. Who do they think they are- the freakin' CIA? Casey and Becca are _my_ business."

Edwin snorted, rolling his eyes.

"As always."

Andrew's back tensed as he caught sight of the rage that flashed through Derek's eyes as he looked up at his younger brother, surprised.

"You sure you wanna go there, bro?" Derek challenged, his hands tense against the arm-rests of his chair, as though he were preparing himself to jump up at any given second.

"The cops could handle this, Derek, and I have to believe that even you can admit that."

"You've already got one black eye," Derek reminded him, smirking at the purple-ish bruise that was now fading around his brother's eye. "Do you really wanna spring for another one?"

"Derek," Andrew warned, taking a step towards him. "Knock it off."

Edwin laughed, folding his arms pointedly across his chest.

"No really, let him be immature," he allowed, as though this were not a big deal. "He's been doing it since birth- why rock the boat now?"

"Edwin, I'm warning you," Andrew intercepted, shaking his head. "This isn't the time..."

"No, you're right," Edwin argued, his eyes narrowed as he grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch agressively, a certain note of dismissal in his voice. "It's time for me to leave. Because if this is the way my brother wants to solve things, I've got no intentions of helping him. I've been his scapegoat for much too long now. I'm just sorry that you guys have to fall into the same trap that I was stupid enough to follow for years."

And before anyone could respond to him, Edwin had stormed out through the door, and his engine could be hears starting up only moments later. The sound of the slamming door seemed to echo throughout the house, even moments after the engine could be heard roaring down the road. The three men sat in complete and total silence, neither of them entirely sure on what to say now- on what _could_ be said now.

But as Andrew and Terrence stood with their hands in their pockets, backs stiff with anticipation of what Derek would do next, Derek spoke up, his eyes never lifting from the carpet beneath them.

"Anyone else wanna leave me?" he choked out, sounding as though he could literally rip someone limb from limb, in his anger. "Because if anyone wants to back out, I suggest they do it now. I'm more than willing to go this alone, if I'm gonna be dealing with backstabbers and traitors the whole time."

Andrew shook his head immediately, shocked that Derek would even suggest such a thing.

"Derek," he managed to get out, frowning. "You know it's not like-"

"I know more than _either_ of you," he snapped bitterly, glaring up at the both of them. "Neither of you know what it's like to know that the girl you love more than anything is in pain, and it's all because of something you did."

The last word had barely escaped Derek's mouth when he heard the back door closed, and he looked up to see Andrew's back retreating onto the back step. And while he could not see the look on his face from here, it was not hard to tell that it would be one of pure anger.

- - - -

It only took Derek a grand total of five minutes to find the courage to go out and face his best friend. He had sat in silence for that amount of time, wondering what he could say to Andrew, and wondering what he had said to upset him in the first place. He could only assume that he must have triggered _some_ sort of emotional turmoil in his comments about his own heartbreak, but he could not piece together his exact mistake, since Andrew had always refused to tell him a thing about his own dating history.

Nonetheless, he found himself standing on the back step moments later, hands stuffed awkwardly into his pockets as he stared at his friend's back blankly.

"Drew?"

"Leave me alone, Derek," was the only reply he got, aside from a gentle turn of the head.

Derek heistated, considering taking this advice, but he knew that Drew would never give in so easily if things were reversed, and he knew that he could not let his best friend suffer like this.

And so he lowered himself down onto the front step next to him, propping his arms up against his knees gently. The gentle push of the wind ruffled through his soft brown hair, blowing it down across his eyes. It gave him a sort of soft, childlike look that he had always captured right up until his teen years, for some reason, and he found himself tossing his head to rid himself of the excess hair. It fell back behind his forehead again, and he sighed, shaking his head at his friend.

"Is it about a girl?" he asked awkwardly, biting his lip. He could've sworn that the corners of Drew's mouth turned up into an amused smile at this, but he continued on as though he hadn't noticed.

"If it is, you can always tell me you know."

Still no response. He took this blow lightly, and continued.

"If anyone knows what it's like to be heartbroken, it'd be me," Derek reminded him, trying to make him feel just a little bit better. "I went through hell before I ever won Casey over, you know that."

Andrew turned his head slightly away from Derek, facing straight on now. His eyes were squinted, narrowed against the paved black driveway that lay a few feet ahead of him. There was a certain bitterness to his gaze- something that Derek had never been forced to witness in his best friend until now. Andrew had always been a naturally cheerful sort of guy; pleasant, caring, and possessed with an uncanny sort of forgiving.

But the look in his eyes now was one of absolute despair and agony- of complete and total destruction of self. Derek had never thought he would see such a pained expression on the face of his best friend, but here he was, sitting plain in front of him. Suffering.

"Drew," he got out, his voice barely above a whisper. "Come on, man. I know when something's wrong. And I'm not trying to go all... Brokeback Mountain on you, but I... I care, when one of my friends is suffering. I want to... y'know, help you out or whatever."

Andrew cringed beside him, further proof that not telling anyone of his dilemma was not easy for him. After knowing Andrew for so long, Derek could easily tell when there was somthing wrong, and right now, he could tell that Andrew truly wanted to let everything out at once. He wanted to let Derek know just what was going on, but for some reason, he felt as though he could not do so.

"I keep things in, Derek," Andrew informed him, his voice bittersweet as he dug his fingernails into his palm, as though he desperately wanted to hit something. "It's a hell of alot easier not go get hurt if you never let things out to begin with. Trusting people with these sorts of things, it just... it leads to nothing but pain. I've learned that the hard way."

Despite the pain in his best friend's voice, Derek's selfish nature could not help but rear its ugly head, and despite his inner protests, he found himself asking;

"What about me and Case?"

Andrew's head inclined slightly at this, as though Derek had caught his interest, but his bewildered expression was a sign that he did not understand what was going on.

"What about you and Case?" he asked with an off-handed shrug.

Derek squirmed uncomfortably against the wooden planks beneath him, unsure of how to best ask Andrew about this. Drew was his best friend- the guy he shared laughs and beer with, the guy that he sat around and watched hockey with during the winter. He was the one he went to with his problems, but when the situation was reversed, when it came to dishing out advice to the _other_ half of the party... well, this was a whole new ballgame to him. He'd never been confronted with this type of situation before, not at all.

"Do you trust us?" he managed to get out, sounding slightly embarassed at the insecurity that came shining through in the question.

Andrew did not lift his head; instead, he kept his gaze focused hard on the ground, unclenching his hands and entangling them together before him, letting them hang over his knees. It took a moment, but he finally gave a fairly confident sort of nod, closing his eyes briefly before speaking.

"I would trust you two with my life," he confessed, not an ounce of dishonesty in his voice. "You two... you're probably the kindest people I know. Really, you do too much for me."

"Oh come off it, Andrew," Derek said with disbelief, giving a dismissive wave of the hand in his friend's direction as he straightened up a little, shaking his head. "We do _not_ do too much for you."

"No?" Andrew asked bitterly, and before Derek could respond, he'd turned abruptly to face him, his eyes glimmering with something that Derek could only pray were not tears. He had gotten over his issue with tears long before, but _Andrew_ crying? The strongest, most confident person that he knew, shedding a tear? The idea was simply too complex for him.

But if the moistness in his eyes were tears, he managed to keep them back quite efficiently, quite unlike the slight waver to his voice as he spoke.

"You and Casey put up with me _everyday_ of your life, Derek!" he practically choked out, sounding angry with both himself, and the man in front of him. "You've got a daughter and a girlfriend; you've got your own life to deal with, and you constantly put it on hold to make sure I'm okay."

Derek shook his head, his forehead creased with confusion at Andrew's words.

"You're crazy, man," he offered, not understanding where this was going. "That's just... it's what friends for, right? You're my best friend, and you know that you're one of Casey's too..."

Andrew suddenly turned away, his hands clenching back into fists as he gave a sharp nod, cringing.

"Best friends," he muttered, with a cold and choked laugh. "Yeah, real great."

Derek shook his head, unsure of what to say to such a harsh statement, but it was only a split second before Andrew had turned back to him, scowling.

"I'm a twenty nine year old _loser_, Derek," he said, a hard edge to his voice now. "I've got no kids, I worked a solo job until you came along, I've got no one to come home to at the end of the day..."

"You've gotta have family," Derek interrupted, realizing that he practically knew nothing about Andrew's immediate or distant family tree. "I mean, I know your parents are dead, but there's gotta be someone. A brother, a cousin, an uncle?"

But Andrew merely shook his head, giving a quiet sort of sniff, so casual that you would not have figured it was truly to pull back the tears that he did not wish to shed. There was a sad sort of smile on his face as he gave a deep sigh outwards, denying this.

"There's no one," he assured Derek, who immediately fell silent at this news. No family? None at all? Derek could not count the number of times that he had picked up the phone after an argument with Casey, and called his father to rant- to get a little bit of stress of his chest. He could not remember a time when he had not gone to Edwin for help when he got in too deep for his own liking- though he was not sure that such a thing would be happening again anytime soon. Hell, even his career-crazed mother helped him out from time to time, though that was usually more of a financial nature.

But to have no family at all? Derek had never really considered the fact that Andrew was alone all of the time, but the more that he thought about it, it must be pretty lonely- going home at the end of the day to a huge house- gorgeous, stunning, but completely void of all human company. The thought of sitting down to an empty table, watching a movie by yourself, falling asleep without so much as a goodnight whispered from the other side of the bed- something that he had taken for granted, with Casey.

He'd never really given the matter much thought.

"You've got us though," Derek reminded him, grasping at straws now. "Drew, you... you know that you're always gonna be able to come to me and Case, when things get rough. We'd never turn you away, man."

Andrew chuckled lightly, shaking his head in the way that told Derek that he just didn't understand. This was frustrating, because he wanted so badly to understand just what his friend was going to. If he did, it might be a hell of alot easier to help him through it. But it was hard to comfort someone when you had no real understanding of the real problem at hand.

"I can't just... I dunno, bug you guys for the rest of my life," he reminded him, almost apologetically. "You've said it yourself, right? I'm here so much I might as well move in."

Derek gave an off-handed shrug, grinning slightly.

"You're more than welcome to," he offered, the gesture genuine. "You know we wouldn't really care. Hell, you're here so much it wouldn't be much of a change at all. Might be a help, really."

Andrew smiled with something like amusement, but it faded quickly as he shook his head, indicating that it wasn't going ot happen.

"It'd just make the problem worse, trust me." he said confidently, shaking his head effortlessly. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore, alright man? There's a reason we've never discussed this before now."

Derek was just about to argue with him when Andrew shifted away from him slightly, inclining his head in Derek's general direction.

"How are you doing?" he asked, and as Derek opened his mouth to give the half-truth answer of "I'm fine", he shook his head, smiling slightly. "I mean really, how are you? I don't want you to say what you think I want to hear from you. I wanna know how my best friend's holding up through all of this."

Derek turned his head away, the gentle sway of the wind brushing his messy hair back off of his forehead. His forehead was creased with thought, and he found that he was unsure of how to best answer that question. Honestly, how _did_ he feel about all of this? With Casey gone, he wasn't nearly as close to himself as he always was, and to be honest, he knew that he hadn't fully accepted it yet. This all still felt new to him- as though Casey were merely gone on some sort of short-lived vacation.

So he raised his shoulder in a half-shrug, smiling sadly at the walkway before him.

"I don't know how I feel, really," he admitted, wondering how to best express himself. "Not having Case here... it... it messes with my mind, y'know? It's like... I'm not really thinking straight without her. Right now, I just feel... I dunno, numb; like I haven't even accepted what's happening yet."

"And when you do?" Andrew questioned, sounding half-worried, half-curious. "What's going to happen when this finally hits you? How are you going to deal then?"

Derek felt goosebumps rise on his arm, and he shook his head darkly, swallowing back a lump that was growing in his throat.

"I don't wanna think about that," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's much too hard to try and face. I... I don't want to deal with it, Drew. I _can't_ deal with it. Casey's much too important to me for... for me to ever..."

He trailed off, practically choking over his own words, and he felt Andrew place a hand comfortingly on his back, trying to relax him before he went into a complete state of panic. The reality of his situation became clearer and clearer the more he discussed it, and as much as Derek needed to face the situation at hand, Andrew knew that changing the subject would prolong this realization, if only slightly.

"I can't lose her," he choked out, shaking his head as though this would somehow settle things. "You don't get it, man. She's..."

"I know exactly what she is," Andrew said quietly, narrowing his eyes coldly against the ground. "You don't need to tell me how special she is, or how much it would hurt to live without her. I... I already get that, trust me."

And so they sat there, no more words spoken on the situation at hand, and yet no resolutions set between the two of them.

* * *

**Vote on the newest poll, which will give you some clues as to what is going on with Andrew! In the previous poll, here were the results. I asked who you thought was most likely to get killed off in this story, and this was what you gave me. **

**Terrence Wilson- 34%**

**Andrew Wallace- 18%**

**Dylan Bennett- 12%**

**Casey, Matthew, and Becca- 9%**

**Derek and Edwin- 1%**

**As I said, these results were definitely interesting... **

**So the next chapter deals with one betrayal, and one very screwed up Derek. He's going to run into some more trouble with the law, in the next chapter, and he's definitely not going to be pleased if this bump in the road keeps him from his search for Casey.**

**I know it may seem like he isn't all that upset about the girls' kidnapping, but he really just hasn't dealt with it yet. The teenage Derek we see on TV is like that- always putting things aside, and I can see adult Derek avoiding these sorts of truths as well.**

**On another side, the Edwin portrayed in "No More Games" is alot like the Edwin I want to portray in this story- strong-headed, stubborn, and willing to stand up to his brother. I just can't see Edwin being a pushover forever. He's a smart kid, and I think once he realizes that, he'll be alot quicker to stand up to his usually arrogant brother. **

**Anyway, review please ! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story, upcoming events in the story, etc. **


	21. Cops

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Cops**

Derek usually loved driving on highways. He had always been a speedy driver- something that Casey had strongly disagreed with- but on the highways, he could _legally_ drive like a madman.

But today, he just felt as though the highway was a long stretch of nothingness. _Much_ too long of a stretch. The miles upon miles of pavement that lay beneath him felt like nothing but a roadblock between him and Casey, something that he just wouldn't stand for.

They were driving back to Kingston. Terrence had contacted his cousin, and he had managed to get ahold of a set of keys that would allow them access to the family's house for the day. His younger cousin had been cool enough about it- he had asked few questions, and had handed the keys over easily, if not slightly reluctantly. He had bid farewell to them with nothing more than a suspicious look, and a warning for them to bring the keys back whenever they were done.

And twenty minutes later, they were on the road- Derek driving, Andrew in the passenger's seat, and Terrence sitting in the middle seat behind them, quite like a small child. Derek would be lying if he were to say he didn't get _some_ amusement out of seeing Terrence shoved into the backseat like a kid.

"Remind me again what we're looking for at my uncle's house?" he asked, a hand gripping the back of either seat as he leaned between them. "I mean, we already know that my brother isn't there anymore, and-"

"We need to find evidence," Derek said impatiently, his eyes never leaving the road. Andrew shot him an amused look from the corner of his eye, chuckling lightly as he turned his head out the window again.

"I don't think you're gonna find much," Terrence admitted, shrugging a shoulder. "Jacob's smart, he knows not to leave anything incriminating lying-"

"Jacob's smart, but me and Andrew are trained to outsmart _his_ smarts, okay?" Derek interrupted, wondering if it had been a bad idea to bring Terrence along at all. "This may be new to you, bud, but it's our job to nail criminals like your brother. Trust me when I say that we know what we're doing."

Terrence opened his mouth to protest, but Andrew- sensing what was coming- turned his head to glance at him, his tone serious.

"Just listen to Derek, okay?" he instructed, shaking his head. "We're going to pick up on things that you never could, and we brought you because you can give us alot of insight into your brother's motives. Everyone's here for their own reason, so just let us stick to ours, okay? I want Casey back just as much as Derek does."

Derek's eyes narrowed slightly against the pavement, but he remained silent as Terrence fell back against his seat, arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. In the rearview mirror, he could be seen pouting in the background, and Derek could not help but bite back a smile at the sight. It was two on one here, and not even Casey was around to treat him kindly anymore. Sure, it might be a little bit harsh to freeze him out all the time, but in all honesty, Terrence had created this reality for himself. He was the one who had turned his back on them seven years ago, and helped with his family's abuse on Casey.

He was brought out of his trance when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he glanced suspiciously down at the device, knowing that he shouldn't answer the call while he was driving. Normally, he would have just ignored the call altogether, but in a case like this, where any given call could mean life or death for your family, he knew that he could never be too safe.

So he turned the radio down all of the way, and flipped his cell open easily, raising it to his ear.

"Derek here."

"Derek?" came a female voice, in a quiet and frightened whisper. "Derek, it's me."

Derek nearly lost control of the car as his body tensed with shock and relief, and he gave a slight jump of surprise, eyes widening.

"Case?" he choked out, and as Terrence and Andrew both leaned in closer to him, alert as could be, he frowned, pulling off onto the side of the highway. He was quick to turn the key in the slot, killing the engine. When all that could be heard was the steady passing of cars to his left, he spoke again, certain that his voice was beyond shaky.

"Baby, where are you?" he asked, unsure of where to start with her. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I don't know where I am," she admitted, her voice a frantic whisper, as though she were afraid someone would find her at any given second. "I don't know how long I'll have on the phone. Dylan's watching the door for me, but they could be back at any given second."

There was silence, and before he could ask anything else, she had continued.

"I think it's some sort of warehouse," she admitted, frowning. "We're really high up. They had us blindfolded coming in, but it sounds like we're close to the city. We can hear traffic down below when he lets us out of our room, but there's no windows in the one he keeps us in."

"How many of them are there?" Derek asked, ignoring the fact that the other two were hanging over his shoulder, desperate to catch every last word.

"There's at least three," she admitted, and Derek found himself frowning at this revelation; even numbers. That meant that they were certainly at no sort of advantage, when it came to facing off against them.

"There's Jacob and his friend Matthew," she informed him, rushing through her words. "Matthew Leary. They used his name to trick you, and the real Matthew was the one making the phone calls to you over the past few weeks. You know, the threatening ones."

Derek frowned, pressing a hand against his forehead as Terrence leaned back against the backseat, face in his hands almost shamefully. Derek had a feeling that he had just remembered who the voice on the other end of the phone line had been; the _real_ Matthew Leary, his brother's good friend. Terrence had said before that the voice had sounded familiar, and now he knew why.

"And the third?" he asked, wanting to get everything out of her that he possibly could. "Who's the third one?"

"Marcus Evans," she said, and a single glance over his shoulder told him that Terrence knew nothing of this man. Turning back to face the front, he sighed, rubbing his temple to relieve some of his frustration. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut beneath his grip, and he found himself heaving out a huge breath of frustration, unsure of what he wanted to ask her. If he knew that they had the secured amount of time, he would do nothing but ask her about how she was- whether or not she was hurt, every last injury that they had inflicted upon her, but he knew that- as strong as his desire was to protect her- he needed to know the information that would get him to her quicker. It was much more important to get to her, rather than know every bruise on her body and not have a clue as to where she was. He had made that mistake the first time that she had been kidnapped, and it had been sheer dumb luck that had gotten him to her before.

But now he was a trained private investigator, and he knew what sorts of questions to ask, whether he was dealing with his girlfriend, or anyone else.

"What else can you tell me, Case?" he asked her, taking a deep breath. "Think hard, baby. Anything that you think can help..."

He trailed off, and he listened hard as she remained silent, apparantly thinking. Andrew was stiff next to him, his knuckles white against the seat beneath him, and it took a moment for Casey to speak up again, sounding contemplative.

"They're in really close contact with Terrence's cousin," she got out suddenly, as though she could not believe she had forgotten to tell him this. "Franz's younger brother. I don't know if he's helping them, or if he even knows what is going on, but..."

Derek's head swivelled, and he turned to glare at Terrence, who had gone pale with realization. He shook his head- trying to signal that he had been innocent to all of this, but Derek merely glared in return, not willing to let it go that easily.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked, unable to resist. "And the kids, are they-"

"We're holding up," Casey replied quietly, knowing what he was going to ask. "Becca's a tough kid, Derek. She inherited your stubborn attitude. She cries when she's with me, but she never lets them see her upset. She knows that she'll just get it worse if she does."

Derek nodded his head lightly, swallowing back a thousand and one questions. He could not help but give a faint smile at the pride that his daughter was showing throughout her ordela. She had truly inherited her parent's bravery, that was for sure.

"And Dylan?" he brought himself to ask, feeling concern for the kid that had been unwillingly dragged into this, just like the rest of them. "How is he holding up?"

Casey hesitated, but her tone remained unchanged when she spoke again.

"He keeps to himself alot," she admitted, sounding slightly put out by this. "He's friendly and everything, and he's not rude, but... he just prefers to stick to his own thoughts, I guess. He's an easy target for them, because they love trying to get a reaction out of him. It's a shame, really."

Derek contemplated this, and remembered how much Dylan had kept to himself during his very brief stay with them. He had slept at Andrew's house, and when he had been at the Venturi's, he had mostly stayed upstairs, fooling around with Derek's old guitar. Normally, he wouldn't have let anyone touch the thing, but if it had kept the kid busy, it was worth it, right?

But what Casey was saying made a whole lot of sense to him. Dylan Bennett wasn't rude; he was merely undergoing a really tough time, and much like Andrew, he preferred to keep to himself when in pain.

Pushing this aside, he sighed, preparing himself for his bigger question- the one he had wanted to avoid at all costs, despite it all.

"And how are you doing?" he asked, praying that her response wouldn't be too bad. "Are you... are you doing okay?"

There was the faint sign of a chuckle on the other end of the line, one filled with incredible sadness and acceptance. He could tell by her laughter what she was about to say, and sure enough, her next words were fairly predictable.

"It's nothing I've never been through before," she reminded him, referring to their encounter years ago. "My main concern this time is keeping the two of them safe. If anything happened to them-"

"It's not your fault, Case," Derek tried to remind her, shaking his head pointlessly. "You need to look after yourself too. You're... you're pregnant right now," he choked out, nearly wanting to slap himself for so easily looking over her pregnancy, during all of this. "Watch the kids, but make sure you're not endangering yourself, or our other child either. The three of you can all protect yourself to some extent, but that baby, Case... they've just got you. No one else."

Casey was silent on the other end of the line, and he knew that she was thinking over everything that he had just told her. He could admit that even he had pushed aside her pregnancy, in light of everything else. To be honest, her pregnancy had not really been on his mind much over the past couple of days. With the girls missing, he had been more focused on getting the two of them back home as quickly and safely as possible.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it wasn't just his girls he was looking out for. Unborn or not, that baby was his, and if Casey were to lose it, wouldn't that be just as bad as losing Rebecca? Regardless, losing an unborn baby would still be losing his child.

"Derek?" came the voice on the other end of the line, pulling him from his dazed stupor. He looked up at the windsheild, raising an eyebrow at the tone of her voice. He felt his hand clutch the phone a little tighter at the desperation in her voice, before he swallowed back his reservations, and answered;

"Yeah?"

Silence. Nothing but pure silence. He waited, well aware that Andrew, if not Terrence, could hear almost every word that Casey was saying to him. He sat stock still next to Derek, and he could've sworn that Andrew's back stiffened considerably at her next words.

"I really miss you."

He felt his heart squeeze painfully, and his eyes closed as he clutched the seat beneath him just a bit tighter, trying to keep cool. Hearing her in so much emotional pain, knowing that she missed him just as much as he missed her... it killed him.

"I know baby," he responded, his voice wavering a little. "I miss you too, so much. But I'm... I mean, _we're_ gonna get you out of there. Hopefully sooner than you think."

This brightened her outlook a little, and she sounded just a bit more pleasant when she spoke up again, daring to sound hopeful.

"Really?" she asked, and before he could respond, there was the sound of some quiet chatter in the background. He tensed, hoping that the men had not found her on the phone, but Casey's voice returned a moment later, just as calm as she had been before.

"Derek, we've only got another minute or so, and she really wants to say hello to you," Casey said, obviously referring to their daughter. "Is it okay if I put her on the line?"

Derek nodded hurriedly, before remembering that he was on the phone, and that nodding was pretty pointless.

"Yeah, of course," he rushed, half upset that he could not talk to Casey any longer, but pleased that he got to speak to his little girl, nonetheless. "Put her on the line."

"Okay," Casey said, before dropping below a whisper, her voice cracking over the words. "I love you, Derek. So much."

"I know," he responded, cringing slightly. "I love you too. I promise you... I'm gonna come and find you guys. I won't let you down. Not again."

She said nothing in response. Instead, there was a slight scuffle on the other end of the line, before a much smaller sounding, childlike voice came over the other line.

"Daddy?"

Derek's chest heaved at the sound of her tiny voice- so hopeful, so scared, and yet so brave, all at once. He could tell by her tone of voice that, despite her terror, she was holding her head high like a true Venturi. Her mother had been right about her; she was definitely showing some of his best traits, despite her dire situation.

"Hey baby girl," he greeted, willing himself not to let his voice waver. The last thing he needed was for Rebecca to know how worried he was. "Baby, Daddy is so, so, _so_ incredibly sorry about what's happening to you. You don't know how bad I feel right now."

"I'm okay, Daddy," Becca said, sounding as though she were trying her best to be brutally honest. "I've got Mommy with me, and Dylan can be lots'a fun too. He tells really funny jokes- just not as good as yours."

Derek let out a choked sort of laughter, trying to tell himself that the swelling of his throat had nothing to do with tears.

"I'd rather you guys were home with me," he told her, trying to stay strong for her. "Are they hurting you?"

Silence. If there was anything that hurt beyond imagination, it was the silence that followed his question. Rebecca had chosen not to answer his question, making the answer all that more predictable.

And he suddenly leaned forwards, leaning one arm against the steering wheel, and his forehead against his arm. His eyes squeezed tightly shut as he clenched his hand tighter around the side of the wheel, shaking his head.

"Oh _God," _he murmered, unable to stop the emotion now. "They are, aren't they?"

"Mommy said you'd be proud of me," she said, as though she hoped this would fix everything. "She said I'm being really brave."

"Daddy_ is _proud of you, baby girl," he confirmed, nodding his head. "More than you could ever imagine. I am so, so, so, _so _proud of you, and don't you ever forget it."

"I won't," she said, and before he could ask her anything else, he heard Dylan mutter something frantically in the background, and the phone was suddenly being snatched out of Rebecca's hands, and presumeably back to Casey's.

"We've gotta go," she said quickly, sounding panicked all of a sudden. "They're coming upstairs again, and we've gotta get back to the other room."

Derek wanted nothing more than to keep her on the line until he could find her, but he knew that they would suffer more if they were caught using the phone. And so he raised his head from the steering wheel, nodding hard as he swallowed back his desperation, sniffing slightly.

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly, trying to steady his voice a little. "I love you, baby. Be careful."

"We will," she promised, and before anything else could be spoken between them, she had hung up. He waited just in case, but when the dialtone kicked back in, he knew that she was gone.

He sat there for a moment, his hands trembling, body stiff, but he soon regained enough composure to snap the phone shut again. The entire car fell silent- Andrew leaning against his side of the car, Terrence leaned back in his seat, and Derek sitting stock still against the driver's seat. Nobody spoke a word, and the only sound that could be heard was the steady passing of cars on the highway- meaningless people, going about everyday tasks that seemed to be nothing but trivial, to Derek.

"Derek," Andrew finally said, his voice slightly weakened with stress.

But Derek shook his head slowly, his eyes never leaving the dashboard before him.

"Don't," he said, knowing that Drew was going to try one of his stupid lectures, and try to tell him that it would all be okay.

Yeah, right.

And so all three of them fell silent, apparantly understanding that there was nothing that could be said now to fix this- nothing that could possibly reverse the effects of that phone call. Much like the conversation Andrew and Derek had shared this morning, Derek was beginning to face the reality of what was happening. The phone call from Casey had forced him to look his demons right in the eye, and honestly? He didn't like what he was seeing.

- - - -

Four hours, three Tylenol, and a pocketful of arguments later, they found themselves back at the Venturi house, feeling more tired than they had been when they had left. Derek had barely slept the night before as it was- three hours, tops, and the long trip to and from Kingston had worn him out altogether.

They had spent the day searching through the house, looking for anything that might indicate Jacob's presence. The search had proved to be mostly pointless; they had pulled up only faint traces that the house had been occupied recently. An open can of soda had been lying on the counter with a recent expiration date- indiciating that someone had been there recently, and an open telephone book lying on the coffee table, with a page open to the 'K' listings for Toronto.

A newspaper had been lying open on the coffee table, and only one article had been starred. It had been the death notice of some former company-owner in Toronto. Apparantly, his business had gone under a couple of years before, and he'd been drinking heavily ever since. He hadn't had the money to redevelop his company into something of substance, so he had merely passed the property onto his son, who- according to the article- had no plans on following in his father's footsteps either.

The man had died a couple of weeks before due to heart failure, but the news didn't seem to be overly important. The article had been small, and listed solely under a business column of the paper. Terrence had mentioned that the owner of the company had been a close and personal friend of his father's, though he had never met the son, and that Jacob had probably just come across it and recognized the name. He had left the article behind, so clearly it wasn't all too important. According to Terrence, the deceased man had been as honest as Mr. Wilson, which Derek supposed completely ruined his credibility entirely. The Wilson brother's father seemed to have been a fairly dishonest man, and if he associated with the same sort of people, then it would be fair in saying that this guy hadn't been all that great a catch either.

"Nothing," Derek announced, as he threw his leather jacket onto the bannister railing of the stairway. "Absolutely nothing."

Terrence flopped down onto the couch across the room, exhausted, and Derek shot him one more hopeful look, raising an eyebrow.

"You're sure that the article doesn't mean anything?" he asked, wanting to cover all of the bases. "The son, he wouldn't have anything to do with it, would he?"

Terrence lifted a shoulder into a clueless shrug, nothing of interest flitting across his features.

"I've never met the guy," he admitted, as though it were not a big deal. "He's around Jake's age, but his parents divorced before I was even born. He lived with his mother for the most part, and from what I heard, he had little contact aside from the one or two weeks he spent in Toronto every year. I'm surprised his father left him anything in the will, to be honest."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed together slightly at Terrence's explanation, and despite what he was saying, he could not bring himself to believe that the article meant nothing.

"What sort of company did this guy run?" he asked, thinking hard. "Was it in Toronto?"

Terrence nodded, confirming this.

"Toronto, yeah," he said, settling the matter. "It was some big manufacturing company, as far as I know. It was going pretty good for a couple of years, but things started falling through for him about nine years back. He went bankrupt about four years back and was forced to shut down, but he managed to hold onto the land until now. His son will probably just sell it off, I'm guessing. Dude's got a fiance and a daughter, but he's not the best of guys. I can't see him giving a damn about his father's old business. He's into a more... _selective_ trade, shall we say?"

Derek raised a brow, taking his best educated guess.

"Drugs?"

A nod of the head confirmed he was right, and Derek rolled his eyes, unsurprised.

"I'm guessing he would've been good friends with your brother?"

Terrence shrugged, clearly not seeing what was so important about the article.

"They hung around when we visited my aunt and uncle in Ontario," he said, and when Derek frowned, he went on. "We lived in British Columbia growing up, remember?"

Derek jogged his memory, before recalling that the Wilson family had never been from Ontario, but rather from BC.

With this in mind, he nodded his head, remembering.

"Right," he said, and before he could ask anymore questions on the matter, or else dismiss it entirely, there was a knock on the door.

All three men turned their heads at the sound of the formal sounding knock, frowning at the sheer volume of it. Whoever was at the door was there on official business- that much was obvious just by the density of their fist against the door.

"You expecting anyone?" Andrew asked, never turning his head from the direction of the porch, which was off to the left of the hallway just outside the living room.

Derek frowned, shaking his head to indicate otherwise.

"No," he informed them, unsure of who was at his door. "I don't know who it is. I mean, it could be one of Becca's friends, but... sounds a bit too strong of a knock, for that."

"Well someone has to go answer it."

Andrew and Derek both gave Terrence a reluctant sort of glance, as though they thought he was stating the obvious a bit too blatantly, but on the other hand, they could admit that he was right. It didn't matter who was at the door waiting for them. Either way, they needed to answer it, and they needed to do it before whoever it was gave up and left.

So, summoning up all of his courage, Derek drew in a deep breath, and pushed himself up out of the armchair he was currently enclosed in. He was nervous- he would be lying if he said otherwise, but he knew that he could face whatever was on the other side of that door.

"Wait here," he instructed the other two, before making his way down the long hallway, past the stairwell to the basement, and he made a left turn into the porch.

He pulled open the main door first, before glancing out the glass-patterned screen door before him.

Outside the door stood two men. One was a cop, and the other was a tall, bulky-looking man, dressed formally in a suit and tie. Derek could feel his heart beating madly out of his chest at the mere sight of a cop, and his first instinct was to shut the door and run. Maybe if he closed the door on them, they'd give up and go away, right?

But he knew that this could never work, and so he pulled open the screen door reluctantly, trying to bring himself to smile. The effort was too great, and he wound up shooting them an awkward sort of grimace, his eyes squinted against the bright rays of sunlight that shone down towards the front of the house.

"Can I help you?" he asked, already knowing that he was in way over his head here. "I'm a little busy right now."

The police officer held up a package of stapled paper towards Derek, a grim sort of expression on his face as he took a single step towards the open door, looking up at Derek. He was a good six inches shorter than Derek, and he was definitely not as muscular, but the mere authority of the man made him all that more threatening, to Derek.

"I'm with the Ontario Provincial Police unit," he said formally, nodding towards his badge to prove this. "This is Doug Simpson, from the school board. We received an anonymous tip today that there might be something more going on with your family's absence from school and work."

Derek swallowed hard, trying his best not to freak out entirely.

"I've got a warrant to search the place," he said, with a quick gesture towards the papers that he held in his hand. "I hope you don't mind if we step inside for a couple of minutes. I'd really love to see to it that your daughter is really safe and sound, like you claim she is."

Derek stood there, stock still, unable to move from his spot in the doorway.

Anonymous tip, right. If Derek made it out of this thing alive, Edwin was _so_ going to pay.

* * *

**I got five reviews on the last chapter- so definitely not as many as usual. The next chapter is ready to go, so I will update upon reviews. I'm hoping that you guys are still reading, because it's really taking alot for me not to pause with this story and go work on my original fictions a bit more. I've been neglecting them, but I would never leave a story hanging like that. :) So I hope you're interested, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	22. Wrongful Accusations

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but a mostly empty bank account, and a stubborn, semi-working laptop. **

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Wrongful Accusations**

Derek found himself trailing along behind the officer awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say to make him go away. He may have been the "Lord of the Lies" back in high school, but as hard as he racked his brain now, he could not come up with a decent-sounding excuse as to why his daughter was entirely absent from their home. Sure, he could tell them that she was with her grandparents, or that she had gone with her mother to visit her grandfather, but really, it would be too easy to check up on.

And the last thing he needed was the cops thinking he was some sort of a liar.

"Is this your little girl?" the police officer asked, gesturing towards a school picture that was mounted proudly on the wall. Derek's eyes fell on her kindergarden picture, and despite the pang of absence that seared through his heart, he gave a grim sort of smile, nodding his head.

"That's Becca, yeah," he confirmed, swallowing hard. "Looks a bit different now, of course. She's lost two baby teeth since then, and her hair grew out a bit, but..."

He trailed off, figuring that they would get the general point. Officer Greene glanced over the photograph once more, before nodding and making his way slowly through the hallway of the house, leading towards the kitchen, where the kidnapping itself had taken place.

"Your daughter is in bed, I'm assuming?" he questioned, as he examined every last inch of his surroundings carefully. "You know, considering she's sick, and whatnot?"

Derek bit his lower lip, unsure of how to best answer. Lying would only grant him a few more minutes to think, but telling the truth...

"Uh, you see... Becca, she's... well, she didn't really..."

"She's not here, is she?" the man asked, turning abruptly to face Derek with a knowing sort of expression on his face. Derek, who was pinned easily between the two officials, looked back and forth between one and the other, unsure of how he should act. He found himself wishing that Andrew wasn't still out in the living room, for he might've come up with some sort of a better excuse than this.

But sadly, he had no good excuse to get himself out of this one, and as he looked back and forth from one doubtful expression to the other, he knew that he was caught.

"No," he admitted, shaking his head truthfully as he lowered his gaze to the ground, blushing. "She's not here. Neither of them are."

Mr. Simpson nodded his head as he heard verbal confirmation of what he had already suspected, and Officer Greene shot a knowing look towards the kitchen, which still displayed telltale signs of a crime scene. It had not been too badly abused in the kidnapping, but in the rush of the past two days, Derek had not yet found the time to clean up after Jacob. A glass was shattered against the counter, and one of the cupboard doors had been cracked- slashed right open, as though someone had gashed it with a knife.

Hell, someone probably _had_ gashed it with a knife.

Despite Derek's attempts to rid the floor of the most obvious sign of crime- the blood on the floor- there were still slight stains of it on the mat next to the back door, and even moreso- stains that Derek had not seen before- streaked against the underlayer of the counter, as though someone had been injured close to the foot of the kitchen counter.

What alarmed Derek was that many of these stains were across the room entirely- far from where Andrew had been attacked. That could only mean that Andrew had not been the only one bleeding, when Jacob had taken off with Casey and the kids.

He felt himself wishing that he had had the sense to clean up the kitchen over the past day or so, but he had barely been home, and cleaning had been the farthest thing from his mind, truthfully. He had cleaned up most of the blood that had been left from Andrew's injury, but that had been the extent of his cleaning. He hadn't anticipated a visit from the cops.

"I see we've got ourselves a little problem," Officer Greene said, narrowing his eyes against the obvious turmoil of the kitchen. "Care to explain yourself?"

Derek let out a breath that he hadn't been aware of holding, before backing himself up against the wall behind him, shaking his head. He found himself holding up a cautious hand, feeling suddenly pressured.

"I know this seems really bad," he offered, trying to buy himself some time. "But I can assure you that there's some sort of logical explanation to all of this."

The officer raised an eyebrow doubtfully, as though he knew that Derek was lying.

"And what would that explanation be?" he challenged, and when Derek said nothing, he gave a single nod of the head, reaching out to grab Derek by the elbow.

"I think I've already got a pretty good idea of what's going on here," he said, a certain note of accusation in his voice. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me. I'd like to bring you downtown to ask you a couple of questions."

Derek's mouth hung open in shock, and he found himself at a loss for words. Did these men honestly believe that _he_ had done something to Casey and Rebecca- that he would bring harm to his own family?

They had to be insane.

Before he could act upon this, Andrew and Terrence appeared at his side, both frowning as they examined the situation at hand. Andrew, already trained in law, seemed to come to an understanding of the situation much quicker than Terrence, who caught on a bit more slowly.

"You can't arrest him without a warrant," Andrew said, his eyes moving from the blood in the kitchen, to the secure hand that the cop had placed on Derek's elbow. "You've got no proof against him."

Officer Greene shook his head, a serious expression on his face as he released Derek's elbow.

"I'm not arresting him," he explained, as though this were quite simple. "I'm merely asking him to come downtown with me to answer a couple of questions. If he comes willingly, I don't see why there would be any reason for an arrest."

"Drew," Derek said pleadingly, his eyes trying to give away what he could not speak aloud. He needed to go to the station with Officer Greene. As much as he wanted to yell out that he was innocent, that his family had been kidnapped by known criminals, he knew that- for their safety, he could not do any such thing. Casey and Rebecca's lives were already dangling on a dangerously thin string, and for him to turn Jacob in... well, that would be signing their souls to the devil, practically. He knew that Jacob would act in a heartbeat, if this thing were to suddenly fall into the hands of the law. The last thing he needed was for Jacob to panic, and get rid of his evidence entirely.

Andrew's eyes met with his, and Derek reached into his pocket, pulling his cellphone out easily. He glanced down at it, ensuring that the ringer was on high, before handing it over to Andrew, a pointed look set in his eyes.

"Make sure you don't miss any calls," he said, taking a step backwards towards the front door. "If you need to reach me..."

"I'll call the station," Andrew said, nodding his head as he narrowed his eyes against Officer Greene. "I've got some close, personal friends in law enforcement. We'll have you out of this in no time bud; don't worry."

Derek only nodded once before he backed up towards the door, falling behind Mr. Simpson and Officer Greene easily.

And as he turned to go through the doorway, his eyes met with Terrence's in some sort of brief, quick connection. There was something in Terrence's eyes that he couldn't quite read. It was something like... jealousy? Maybe. Respect?

Most definitely.

He just wasn't sure why.

- - - -

"I'll ask you this one more time," the investigator said, leaning across the table towards Derek. "Where are Casey McDonald, and Rebecca Venturi?"

Derek sighed, folding his arms across his chest with annoyance. If someone asked him this question one more time, he wasn't too sure he would be able to handle it. People had been shooting pointless questions at him for two hours on end now- none of which he had proper answers to. He refused to lie- that would just make things worse, but he also knew that he could not tell the truth. By telling the truth, he would be giving Jacob a reason to do away with his hostages, and that was definitely something that he didn't want.

"I don't know where they are," he said honestly, shaking his head. "You can ask me that all you want, and you can press that recorder in my face all freakin' day, but my answer isn't going to change. I don't know where they are."

"So then why did you lie to the school board?" the investigator asked, raising an eyebrow at him as he held the voice recorder closer to Derek, as though spiting him. "Yes or no, did you inform Mr. Doug Simpson that your girlfriend was in New York tending to her father, and that your daughter Rebecca was off school sick?"

Derek nodded, but his tormenter nodded towards the recorder, frowning.

"For the tape, please."

Derek rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. How was _that_ for their tape?

"_Yes_, okay?" he emphasized, annoyed. "I lied to him, alright? Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The investigator- Tyson Bradbury- leaned back in his seat, looking contemplative. Even Derek could admit that he had to be the world's most frustrating subject. Here was a man who had lied to officials for well over a week, and who was willing to admit to said lies, with no motive, and no better version of the truth to offer. He could admit that he would be a little ticked off if someone were to send such an annoying suspect to him.

"Look, Bradbury," Derek said, pushing himself forwards to lean across the table. "I'm an investigator too, alright? And I know the last thing you wanna do with your day is sit here and interview me about two girls that don't mean a damn thing to you."

Tyson Bradbury frowned, looking taken aback all of a suden.

"Um..."

"I'm willing to bet all you wanna do right now is go home, pop open a beer, and sit in front of the television for the rest of the night, am I right?"

"Mr. Venturi, I don't think that's-"

"Am I right?"

"Well maybe, but-"

"Well then I suggest you stop asking me these pointless questions, and get on with your life. Because I can tell you right now, you're not getting anything out of me that I haven't already told you. What happens in my family is absolutely none of your business, nor is it the business of anyone else in this place. So you can quit playing Harriet the Spy, and go home and watch a re-run of the OC, because I'm done with this."

And with that, he pressed his palms flat against the surface of the table, practically knocking over his chair in his rush to stand. Behind him, he heard the scraping of a chair against the floor, and Mr. Bradbury's voice floated after him, concerned and half-angry.

"Venturi, get back here!"

"Shut up, Harriet!"

The second he burst out through the door of the room he was being held in, a hand clamped down on his wrist, and he felt himself being pulled backwards, where his back slammed against the wall roughly. He was taken aback for only a moment, before he opened his eyes to see a burly security gaurd standing before him, giving him a suspicious look.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nowhere, thanks to Harriet and Sport," he muttered, rolling his eyes as he flopped down into the plastic chair, folding his arms blatantly across his chest. "Honestly will the two of you just let me out of here? I've got much better things to be doing with my time than to listen to you goons prattle on about accusations and whatnot."

One of the men raised an eyebrow offensively, apparantly taken aback by Derek's attitude.

"Goons?" he repeated, as though this were new to his ears. "Who are you to call us names, sir?"

Derek raised an eyebrow in return, before pushing his hands flat against the top of his legs, and pushing himself up into a standing position. Maybe these men weren't used to being talked back to, but he was Derek Venturi, dammit, and if he wanted to leave, he was going to darn well leave.

"I'm innocent, that's what I am," he assured him, unable to stop himself. "And the last time I checked, our country was a firm believer in justice. And I really don't see any justice in accusing an innocent man of hurting his own family."

"Mr. Venturi, you've done jail time before," the investigator interrupted, sounding cautious. "You've got a criminal record. That's not something we take lightly."

Derek could feel the red rise in his cheeks as he blushed scarlet with rage, his fists clenching by his sides.

"I have a criminal record because I _protected_ my family," he urged, unable to believe how think these guy's heads were. "Why would I go through so much to protect them, and then do away with them myself? My family is my entire life; ask anyone you know, and they'll tell you the same."

The honesty in his voice was too hard not to believe, and he could tell that he had both men seriously puzzled. There was so much evidence against him right now, but at the same time, it was so easy to see that Derek Venturi was seriously committed to his family.

Before anyone could utter another word, the door had swung open, and Andrew came storming in, followed by a tall and burly police officer that Derek faintly recognized as a friend of Andrew's, Officer Cohen. Derek took a look at the man's short and curly black hair, and his emerald green eyes, and recalled that the man had attended a Christmas party that Casey had thrown two years back, as one of Andrew's guests.

Andrew greeted the three men with a small nod, his smile stiff and forced, polite and deliberate. It was easy to tell that he was just as ticked off with the law enforcement as Derek was, but he was supposed to be a professional. He had friends in the law enforcement, and he had to keep up his reputation as a mature and respectable professional, even if he was dealing with his best friend.

"How are you today, Bradbury?" he asked the investigator, who bristled at the formality of the statement. "I see we've got ourselves a bit of a problem."

Derek was stiff as Bradbury nodded his head, giving Derek a suspicious and cautious sort of look, as though he did not trust the man in the slightest.

"Our problem would be solved alot easier if Mr. Venturi could just tell us the truth," he said, and Derek scowled at the man's assumption of him. "He's refusing to tell us the whereabouts of his family."

"Because it's none of your business," Derek spat out violently, but Andrew held up a hand, shooting his best friend a cautious sort of look. Derek felt himself relax slightly under the look, knowing that Andrew planned on handling this himself, and that he shouldn't do anything stupid that could jeaprodize his possible release from this hellhole.

"I've got Officer Cohen here with me today," Andrew said, with a nod towards the man that he had brought with him. Derek's eyes flickered nervously towards the man, and he had to wonder just how much this guy knew about what was going on. Had Andrew told him what was going on?"

"Cohen will be taking over the case from here," he said matter-of-factly, folding his arms across his chest. "He'll be dealing with it as a private case. We don't want this sort of thing getting to the public."

"I think it's a bit late for that," Bradbury said, raising an eyebrow at the men. "The media were alerted hours ago about this ordeal. I'm assuming you came in the back door, if you missed the mass sea of reporters waiting around out front. They're just dying to hear about the disappearances."

Derek's mind went racing, and he could see nothing but red as his heart pounded venemously against his chest. His nostrils flared, and he was aware of his fists clenching beside him as he practically threw himself towards Cohen, grabbing him by the collar and pressing him against the wall violently. He saw the surprise flicker through the man's eyes, and he heard a distinct warning from Andrew behind him, but he paid him no attention as he nearly tore his fingernails into his palm, his fist closed tightly.

"You bastard," he spit out, hearing the shakiness of his voice. "Do you know what you're doing to me, to _them_? You got the _media_ involved? Are you absolutely-"

"Derek."

There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder, and he felt Andrew drawing him back from the shocked investigator quickly. Derek's chest heaved up and down as he struggled for air, needing some of it to go to his head. He wasn't thinking straight. He knew that he was getting himself in alot more trouble than need be by getting violent with the authorities, and he knew that he could not afford to mix himself up with charges and criminal laws anymore than he already had, today.

"It's not worth it, man," Andrew said to him, gripping his shoulder tightly, his voice a low warning. "It's not his fault. The media... they're all over these sorts of things anyway. You can't blame him."

"I need to blame _someone_," he muttered, so that only Andrew could hear. "He'll kill them, Drew. All three of them. If he thinks this has gone to a public level..."

He could feel the rage building inside of him, and he knew that he needed to find some sort of a release for it all, something that would make him feel just a little tiny bit better about all of this. He couldn't take his anger out on any of the authorities in the room, and Andrew had done nothing to have this sort of rage inflicted upon him. He considered going home and yelling at Terrence, but even that wouldn't satisfy his growing need for revenge, right now.

And then, it hit him. He knew exactly who he wanted to direct his anger at, and he felt no guilt whatsoever in doing it. If he were going to yell at anyone, he would yell at the root of the problem, the pure source of his rage.

"Am I allowed to leave?" he asked through gritted teeth, glancing back and forth between Cohen, and Bradbury. "You've got nothing against me. I'm not under arrest, or anything. This is Cohen's case now, and I really need to go see someone."

"Derek," Andrew said cautiously, sensing danger in his voice, but Cohen merely nodded his head, clearly not on the up and up like Andrew was.

"You're free to go, for now," he informed him, and the knowing tone in his voice made Derek realize that he knew exactly what was going on. "Come back to your place later, and we'll discuss this."

Cohen turned towards Bradbury then, giving him a dismissive sort of nod.

"Your work here is done," he informed him, a weird sense of authority and formality to his voice. "I'll be taking over from here."

There was no argument on Bradbury's side now, and Derek was immediately grateful that his best friend had such powerful connections in the law enforcement. Getting them a cop who could keep a secret, _and _keep him from being the prime suspect on kidnapping charges? Andrew was a genius, he really was.

"I'll be back later," he said suddenly, remembering why he had wanted to escape so badly in the first place. "I've got a backstabbing brother to attend to."

"Derek," Andrew warned, falling into place behind him as Derek stormed out of the small waiting area, and down the hall towards the door. "Derek, think this through logically, okay? You don't want to go after Edwin."

"Oh, don't I?" Derek laughed, fumbling clumsily for his car keys in his pocket, seeing as Officer Greene had let him drive his own car over to the station, since he wasn't under arrest or anything. "Funny, I've got this nagging, annoying sort of feeling that this is _exactly_ what I want to do."

And before Andrew could stop him, Derek had stormed out the back door, and let it fall shut violently behind him.

He had a traitor to deal with.

- - - -

Edwin stayed at the same hotel everytime he came into London. It was a half decent place, relatively inexpensive, and he usually spent the grand majority of his time up in his room, checking out the hotel's game system for all that it was worth. He stayed at Derek and Casey's place from time to time, but considering the two brothers were in an argument right now, and he had a friend's birthday coming up that weekend, he had decided to stay in town for the weekend at a hotel, not wanting to be tied down with their parent's rules and guidelines all week if he chose to stay with them.

And so Derek stormed towards his brother's room, vaguely calling out a greeting to the lady at the front desk, who knew him well enough by now to know that he was a family member of a regular renter.

"How could you?"

Those were the first words that left Derek's mouth as he pummelled through the unlocked door of Edwin's hotel room, letting it slam dangerously into the doorframe behind him. Edwin looked up from his spot in the armchair, his eyebrows furrowed together his dark hair shadowed across his eyes, messy as ever.

"Sorry?" he asked, as though he had no clue what was going on. "I don't follow."

"Don't put that garbage on me," Derek spat out, and before Edwin could react, Derek had hauled his brother up out of the chair by the collar of his shirt, and he'd planted both the man's feet firmly on the ground. Edwin's back was suddenly pressed to the wall as Derek looked him square in the eye, his own eyes sparking with anger.

"Do you have _any _idea what you just did to them?" he yelled in his brother's face, his voice iced with bitterness. "You had _no right,_ Edwin! It's none of your business."

"It is so my business," Edwin retaliated, understanding suddenly dawning across his features as he realized that his brother had figured him out. "Casey and Rebecca are _my _family too, Derek!"

Derek slammed Edwin roughly into the wall a second time, ignoring the way his head connected with the hard surface behind him. Edwin cringed at the pain, but his eyes were glossed over with defensive anger as he breathed heavily, waiting for Derek's retaliation.

"Maybe one day when you've got your own family to look after, you'll understand where I'm coming from, but until then, why don't you just shut up and do as you're told?"

"And give into you my entire life?" Edwin laughed sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so, _D-Man_. I did this to protect them. I did this because I _care, _unlike some people I can think of."

This pretty much sent Derek flying over the top, and he heard a dangerous sort of growl surface in the back of his throat as he tightened his grip painfully around Edwin's shirt, resisting the urge to shake him then and there.

"Dammit, Edwin, you pretty much just signed their death warrants!" he yelled, a wave of nausea washing over him at the sound of his own words. "You don't get it! You've never dealt with these people before! They may be pretty damn dangerous, but they're cowards. The second this thing goes public, those three are going to pay the consequences, do you understand that?"

Edwin's face paled suddenly, and his mouth hung open in shock as he shook his head, looking as though he didn't want to believe what Derek was telling him.

"You're probably exaggerating," he suggested, his voice suddenly dry. "I'm sure you're-"

"I know what I'm talking about!" Derek seethed, anger overwhelming him. "You stay out of my life, Edwin. I don't need idiots like you screwing around with my personal business."

There was no traces of anger left in Edwin's eyes as he shook his head apologetically, looking as though he wanted to cry.

"Derek, I was trying to help, I didn't know..."

"If this is your idea of helping, then I'd appreciate it if you'd do us all a favour, and never help out again," he muttered, and before Edwin could even process his words, Derek had released his collar. Edwin's back slumped slightly against the wall as Derek shot him another disappointed look over his shoulder, making his way towards the door.

"Derek," Edwin choked out dryly, sounding as though he were about to sincerely apologize for his actions.

But Derek shook his head, not willing to listen to reason.

"Just save it, bro," he suggested, and there was a slight note of articulacy in his voice this time. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stay away from all of this, and keep your mouth shut. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect my family."

And then, he was gone. The door slammed behind him with a painstaking echo, and Edwin was left pressed against the wall, too shocked to respond to anything that had just happened.

* * *

**So you can't imagine how sorry I am about the lack of updates over the past week and a half. You guys literally gave me the most reviews I've had in a long time, and while this chapter was pretty much ready to go, I was super, super busy. I moved this week, I had three tests, and it's just been hectic. I didn't get the internet back until yesterday, so life's been a little nuts.**

**But I hope you still liked this enough to review, even if it's negative, and I hope you check out the poll on my profile if you haven't already done so!**

**You guys are awesome, and again, I'm sorry! Moving sucks!**


	23. Andrew and Casey: Partners in Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Andrew and Casey; Partners in Betrayal**

Derek had managed to calm himself down a little bit by the time he got back to his house. He'd driven around London for a good hour and a half to calm his nerves down slightly, and while he knew he was wasting valuable time that he could be spending looking for Casey, he understood that he could not return to the house in the state he was in. If he did, he was very likely to take his anger out on Terrence or Andrew, and they didn't deserve this wrath to be unleashed upon them. They hadn't been the ones to cause him this pain.

So after a lengthy drive through town, and a couple of long inner-voice conversations with himself, he found himself plopping down onto the suade couch in his living room, looking back and forth between Terrence and Andrew.

"Miss me?"

Andrew leaned forwards in the armchair that sat in the corner across the room, frowning.

"Please tell me you're not about to go up on _real _murder charges," he begged, looking terrified. "Edwin _is_ still alive, right?"

Derek lifted one shoulder into a half-hearted shrug, seemingly careless about the situation.

"Lucky for him," he offered, almost monotone. "Whatever. He's dead to me, anyway."

Surprise was written clearly across Andrew's face as he leaned back against the armchair, frowning.

"You don't mean that," he decided, as though Derek's words could not possibly mean a thing. When he did not respond, he shook his head, disbelieving. "Derek, you don't want to push your brother out of your life. Deep down, you have to understand that."

Terrence nodded his head from his place on the other end of the couch, and he curled his feet up on the cushion next to him, making himself comfortable.

"My brothers are psychotic criminals, Derek; I've got a good reason not to talk to them. But Edwin... he... I dunno, he seemed like he really wanted to help you out. He seemed like he was just trying to do what he thought was right."

"Well then he thought wrong, didn't he?" Derek spat back, annoyed with the two of them. How could Terrence and Andrew be so rational and calm when Edwin had just kick-started the possible demise of everything they had been working so hard to uncover?

"You know your brother better than I do," he said to Terrence, his eyes narrowed angrily at him. "If this thing goes public, if there are cops involved..."

"Cohen took the case over," Andrew interrupted, clearly trying to calm Derek down. "He knows what's really going on, Derek. He's going to keep this thing out of the public's eye, trust me."

"You told him?" Derek got out, an accusatory sort of undertone to his voice now. Andrew hesitated, and Derek rushed on, panicking. "How could you do that, Drew? It was bad enough that the cops were involved, but did you have to go and tell him the _whole_ story? Honestly, I'm beginning to question if I'm the only sane one in all of this."

"Derek, Cohen is gonna keep his mouth shut," Andrew explained, holding up a cautious hand to his friend. "Trust me on this, he wants to help us. He'll make sure this remains a private case, and he'll be the only one at the station who will know about it."

"And what about me?" Derek asked, trying to hide the slight waver of curiousity in his voice. "They think that I..." he paused, swallowing hard. "They think I like..._ hurt_ my family. The police, they think this is all me."

"Cohen will handle it," Andrew reassured him, shaking his head slightly. "Look, Cohen's pretty high up in rankings, okay? He has a say in what goes on over there, and if he's telling people to stay out of it, they're gonna listen to him. Why do you think I picked someone at the top to confide in?"

Derek was by no means reassured on the matter, but he knew that arguing would get him absolutely nowhere. Andrew truly believed that this _Cohen_ character could really be of use to them, and honestly, who was he to question Andrew Wallace's judgement? The man had taught him everything he knew, and if he said that this guy could be trusted, then maybe he should give this a chance.

And so he nodded, fighting back every last demon in his head that told him to argue otherwise. There was a fair amount of hesitance in his eyes as he sat back, allowing himself to let out a deeply held breath, but his muscles relaxed against the couch as he spoke up again.

"I'll go along with this, but only because you think it's a good idea," Derek cautioned, wanting things to be clear between them. "But mark my words, if I end up sleeping next to Paris Hilton in a jail cell-"

"You'll thank him," Terrence put in jokingly, and Derek grimaced, shooting him an almost amused glare.

"Not so much," he put in, shaking his head. "The chick has too many DUI charges for my liking, thanks."

"Derek spending the night in prison with a reckless driver," Andrew admired, smiling slightly. "Sounds like a match made in heaven. Maybe she's a worse driver than you, Derek."

Defensively, Derek raised a hand at his best friend, pointing a warning sort of finger at him.

"Hey, I am _not_ a bad driver," he defended, shaking his head pointedly. "I merely have a passion for speed."

"-and narrowly avoiding sidewalks, pedestrians, stop signs..."

"-Andrew's head," Derek threw in in a sing-song voice, raising an eyebrow. "If you don't shut up, that'll be my next target."

Andrew studied him for a moment, as though trying to see if shutting up was worth it, but he gave a lopsided sort of grin as he shook his head, reaching a decision.

"Nope," he replied, laughter hidden behind his voice. "I still fear your driving skills over your your street smarts. Paris Hilton ain't got nothin' on you, man."

Terrence laughed at this, and for the first time in what was probably his entire life, Derek didn't feel like smacking him upside the head. He found himself turning to look at his former enemy, an expression on his lips that was neither a smile nor a frown, but maybe a fair division between the two. Terrence still had every trace of laughter on his face, and as Derek studied him for a moment, he recognized him as someone different than he had been seeing all along- someone other than a Wilson.

For the first time, he saw him as something of an accomplice, of maybe even a friend.

"Derek?" Andrew asked, still sounding amused as he called upon his friend. "Yo, D?"

Andrew's voice snapped him from his trance, and he found himself turning to face him with a bewildered expression, relieved that no one had caught onto the fact that he had been staring at Terrence. With his past actions in mind, Terrence would probably think he was about to get jumped, if Derek so much as stared at him for five seconds.

"Sorry," he replied dryly, shaking his head. "I was just... thinking."

Traces of sympathy were evident on Andrew's face as he softened slightly, resting his head against his hand on the arm of the chair.

"Thinking about Case?" he asked, and when Derek didn't answer, he nodded his head as though with understanding. "Derek, it's okay. We're gonna get her back, you know that."

"Do I?" Derek questioned, deciding against telling them that it had not been Casey he had been thinking about at all. But hey, since they were on the topic of positive thinking...

"I can't help but feel a bit negative," he admitted, shrugging. "There was so much I could have done to prevent this, Drew. If I had been doing my job right all along, if I'd picked up on the signs beforehand..."

"You can't blame yourself," Terrence added quietly, his eyes fixed on the floor. "My brother was going to get them no matter what you did. You did your job as best as you could, and now you need to work as hard as you can to get her back, end of story."

"But-"

"But nothing," Andrew interrupted, nodding his head in agreement with what Terrence was saying. "Terrence is right, Derek. We didn't catch onto Jake's plan in time to keep them from getting taken away, but that just gives us one more reason to focus on the future, and forget about the past."

Derek fell quiet, and he stared at his lap as he let the meaning of Andrew's words sink in.

Could they be right? Was he focusing just a little bit too much on his own pity-party, and neglecting what was truly important here? After all, Casey and Rebecca had already been kidnapped. It didn't matter how or why they had been taken, the important matter was what they were gone. Was it really doing him any good to focus on his own mistakes, on the things that he had done wrong? His efforts would be much better exercised if he focused on getting them back, on making sure they got home safe and sound.

But still, one little detail stuck out in his mind, and he found himself shaking his head, unable to push said thought away.

"She's going to hate me," he said quietly, his voice just above a whisper. "I know you guys are right, and I know I can't change what's already happened, but..."

"Why would Casey hate you?" Andrew asked, his eyebrows furrowed together with confusion. "You spoke to her on the phone, remember? She misses you like crazy, D. I didn't hear an ounce of hatred in her voice."

What Andrew was saying made sense, and he knew that, at the present time, Casey held no feelings of resentment towards him.

But as long as she was in the hands of Jacob Wilson, she was going to have alot of time to herself, with nothing to do but think. And if she thought for too long about her situation, he was afraid that she would come to the same startling realization that he had reached within moments of her kidnapping.

"I set the whole thing up," he revealed, ashamed of himself. When he saw Andrew shaking his head at him, he rushed on, not willing to be interruted. "No, Drew- don't argue with me, alright? Just hear me out."

Andrew fell silent, and Derek drew in a deep breath, prepared to explain himself.

"When this... this Matthew Leary character started calling me, I started setting up a plan to catch this ex-boyfriend he talked about, right?" he asked, and a nod of the head from both men indicated that they were following along. "Okay, so I make this whole scheme up, offer to watch the cameras, I... I taught Jacob how to _set up_ the cameras, for crying out loud. And then I... I set up a time when I'll be out of the house, away from Casey and Becca, and then..."

"They get kidnapped," Terrence finished quietly, understanding where Derek was going with this.

Derek nodded once, bowing his head to stare at his lap again.

"Yeah," he muttered, a slight trace of bitterness hidden in his voice, though it is not towards Terrence. "That's exactly what happens. I mean honestly, what sort of man gets his own family into this sort of mess? How could anyone live with themselves knowing that they may have caused the deaths of their entire family?"

"Shut up, Derek."

His head snapped up then, and he turned towards Andrew with slightly rounded eyes, suprised at the words that had just left his mouth. At first, he thought that he had mistaken some other emotion for anger, but when he looked into Andrew's eyes, it was very obvious that his self-inflicted pity party was a source of resentment for Andrew, and that Derek was getting on his nerves.

"Excuse me?" he challenged, not willing to be spoken back to like that, no matter how much respect he held for Andrew. "What did you just say to me?"

Andrew leaned forwards in his armchair, his hands twined together between his knees as he fixed Derek with a glare, seemingly angry.

"I told you to quit it," he repeated, a dangerous sort of gleam in his eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about, okay? Casey isn't going to hate you for this, and you shouldn't hate yourself for it either. She wouldn't want it to go down like that."

"Oh yeah?" Derek retaliated, and he could not help but sound a little bit hopeful as he threw in a; "How do you know that?"

Andrew lifted a shoulder into a shrug, and his voice was eerily calm as he spoke up again, some of the resentment fading away before he uttered another word.

"Casey talks to me alot," he informed Derek, who raised an eyebrow with surprise. "She tells me things; things that she doesn't even tell you."

Wrong choice of words. Suddenly, Derek's eyes were narrowed against Andrew's shameful ones, and he was fixing him with something of a glare, perplexed now. Andrew's cheeks had gone bright red as he realized what he had let slip, but he remained silent as Derek leaned towards him, a challenging sort of look on his face.

"Oh really?" he questioned, trying not to sound bitter. "And what exactly does she tell you, _Drew_?"

Andrew frowned, his eyes fixed steadily on the floor as he gave a brief shake of the head, indicating that he could not answer that question.

"I can't tell you," he murmered, and Derek was relieved to hear that he really did sound apologetic about it. "I'm sorry, Derek, but I know how I'd feel if she were to go off and spill one of my secrets, and I-"

"Wait a second!" Derek blurted out, his face blood red all of a sudden. Andrew fell silent, mouth hanging open, but Derek paid him no attention as he carried on. "Just how many of these little _chat sessions_ have you _had_ with my girlfriend, Andrew? I wasn't aware that the two of you were so... so..."

"Secret friendly?" Terrence suggested, and Derek blindly waved a finger at him, nodding towards Andrew.

"Yeah that," he dismissed, his mind racing a mile a minute, trying to process what he was being told. "I always thought I could trust the two of you to always be honest with me, and now I find that there were things you _both _kept from me? How do you think that makes me feel, Andrew?"

"Don't be angry with us," Andrew said quietly, folding his hands together between his knees. "Honestly, Derek. We're not keeping anything important from you. It's just... I dunno, you come off as overwhelming sometimes, and we know that there's certain things you can't deal with. And when it gets too much, well... she just needed someone to talk to, Derek. We both did."

Derek was breathing heavily now, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he struggled to regain some sense of composure over the situation. He had never expected this. Of all the people that could keep things from him, he would never have thought it possible of Casey and Andrew, his girlfriend and his best friend. But now, to find that they had kept things from him _together_...

"I can't believe you guys," he muttered, shaking his head angrily. "I can't deal with this right now."

He pushed himself up off of the couch hastily, and Andrew was quick to follow his actions, though he remained with his feet planted firmly to the ground.

"Derek, wait," he called, but by the time the words had left his mouth, Derek was already halfway up the first flight of stairs to the second floor.

And if anyone knew not to bother an angry Derek, it would most definitely be Andrew.

- - - -

Derek had refused to come downstairs to meet with Cohen, once he arrived later that evening. Andrew had called out to him about fifteen times, before Derek had rudely claimed that- if he had to be questioned at all, he was going to do it upstairs, away from any backstabbing traitors that may be lurking on the first floor. He knew that he was being a jerk, and hell, he was probably the immature one in all of this. If Casey were here, she wouldn't stand for his behaviour, and he knew it.

But it hurt, knowing that all of the people you thought you could trust were slowly turning on you. First, Edwin had gone against his wishes and anonymously tipped off the school board to a disappearance. That had been strike number one- perhaps the most dangerous of the betrayals. Next, he had found that Casey had been telling Andrew things- things that she had not felt comfortable enough to tell him. The third strike had been equally as shocking as the second, to him. Andrew had secrets, secrets that he had kept from Derek? Sure, they thought that there were "certain things he couldn't deal with", according to Andrew, but how was keeping secrets going to help him deal any better when the truth came out, as it inevitably would?

Casey was supposed to be his girlfriend, his best friend, someone he could share everything with. It had long ago been an unspoken decision to be honest with each other, and he had rarely lied to her since. Sure, he gave the occasional white lie to get out of trouble with her, and yeah, he had chosen not to tell her about the phone calls from Jacob from the start, but that had been for the greater good. She had to have understood that, right? She had forgiven him, even.

These thoughts kept running through his head, even an hour and a half after Cohen had left for the night. He had made some quick notes on Derek's case, before telling him that they would be in contact, and showing himself out of the house. Derek had waited until he heard the engine of the man's car turn around the corner of his street, before making his way downstairs to the kitchen, his mind still clouded with thoughts of betrayal and deceit.

As he walked into the kitchen, he saw Terrence sitting on top of the black kitchen counter, absent-mindedly munching on some sort of health-food snack that Casey had bought a few weeks before. The cupboards were crammed full of healthy snacks that Derek would probably never touch, so he could not be angry with Terrence for eating from his kitchen. Waste not, want not, right?

On instinct, Derek turned to scout out Andrew, fully prepared to turn and storm back upstairs on an empty stomach, but he was surprised when he saw that it was just the two of them. He turned back to Terrence with a puzzled expression, but Terrence merely shrugged his shoulders without committment, understanding what Derek was looking for.

"He isn't here."

Derek frowned, crossing the kitchen slowly to pull open the fridge, scanning its contents with boredom.

"Where did he go?" he asked, and before he could stop himself, he added a quick, "-not like I care, or anything."

Terrence ignored Derek's bitterness, popping what looked like a raisin into his mouth, and chewing slowly.

"He went home," he explained, a knowing sort of tone to his voice. "Didn't want to bother you, or whatever."

Derek's jaw tightened as he rested one hand on the door of the fridge, pretending to be interested in the food that lined the shelves inside.

"He said he'll be back first thing in the morning, if that's okay," Terrence continued, and Derek knew that he was trying to convey some sort of a message. "Said it's his job to be on the lookout, that he's been staying here most nights anyway."

Derek's hand closed around a can of root beer, and he pulled it from the fridge, shutting the door a little bit too violently. He popped the soda open, before leaning back against the counter, one hand propped up behind him.

"He really cares about this family, Derek," Terrence pointed out, frowning slightly. "Even if you're angry with him, he wants to make sure he's doing his job to help you. That sort of loyalty is hard to find, you know."

Derek let out snorted laughter at this one, amused by Terrence's choice of words. A sarcastic sort of smile crossed his lips as he took a sip of his soda, his eyes fixed blankly on the floor before him.

"Loyalty?" he repeated, as though this amused him. "Is that what you call keeping secrets behind my back? Or going against me and tipping off the school board that there's something going on?"

He shook his head, giving a bitter bout of laughter, ignoring the way he choked over it.

"This isn't a family, it's a band of betrayal," he muttered, raising the soda can to his lips once more, and taking a small sip.

Terrence was watching him closely, as though he was monitoring his every movement- something that Derek despised. He could see him out of the corner of his eye, fixing him with a look that clearly stated he wasn't buying it, that he could see right through Derek's facade.

"I don't believe that," he finally said, a knowing sort of undertone about him. "In fact, I don't even think _you_ believe that. It's clear to me that your family means the world to you, and I got the impression that you mean the world to them too."

Derek remained quiet, trying not to let any emotion show on his face as he shrugged a shoulder, seemingly careless.

"I'm sure they never meant to hurt you," he said, and when Derek still said nothing, he rolled his eyes, letting out a deep breath. "Fine, Derek. Ignore me. Don't listen to a word I say."

"I'm trying not to," he dismissed, smirking slightly. "It'd be a whole lot easier if you'd stop talking, though."

"Oh, I'll stop talking alright," he got out bitterly, hopping down from the counter hastily. "I'm going to shut the hell up, and go back to my own place. After all, I wouldn't want to interrupt your the world's largest pity party, would I?"

With that said, he stormed past Derek, tossing his package venemously into the garbage along the way. Derek could practically feel the anger radiating off of him, and he stood frozen to the counter for a moment, clenching his teeth to keep from screaming out his frustrations. His hands were balled into fists beside him, and before he could think about what he was going to do, he was storming after Terrence, right on his tail.

"How would _you _feel, Terrence?" he yelled, unable to keep the frustration from his voice as he raced along behind him. "No, tell me, because I really don't get how I'm 'supposed' to feel right now! Everyone always says I'm overreacting, I'm too bitter, I blame myself too much. Someone always has something to say about everything I do, and it's getting a little more than old! So please, someone tell me how a _decent _human being would act, please?"

Terrence came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the hallway, his back to Derek as he breathed heavily, thinking this through. Derek stopped short behind him, waiting impatiently, but something occured to him as he glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the floor of the kitchen. It was clean, free of any signs of blood or struggle, much unlike he had left it that afternoon.

"You cleaned the kitchen," he observed quietly, his forehead creased. Terrence remained silent as he turned to face Derek, an unreadable sort of expression on his face as he gave a single nod of the head.

"When did you do that?" Derek asked with a frown, confused.

For a moment, it looked as though Terrence might completely ignore him, but he replied, his voice quiet and almost completely void of emotion.

"When you were down at the station this afternoon," he replied, matter-of-factly. "They took blood samples, pictures, all of the evidence they needed. They said it was fine to get rid of the mess. You and Andrew were both gone, so I just went ahead and did it myself."

Derek stole another glance over his shoulder, frowning at the kitchen floor slightly.

"My fingerprints would be all over the place," he observed, more to himself than to Terrence. "And the blood samples... Casey and Rebecca... Dylan, even."

"We don't know how many of them were injured enough to bleed," Terrence reminded him, shaking his head. "They think Dylan's dead, too. The chances of them thinking to try and match it to Bennett..."

He gave an off-hand shrug, frowning.

"The chances are slim," he observed, before looking Derek in the eye almost curiously. "I'm sure my brother's fingerprints are all over the place, though," he said, sounding vaguely hopeful. "Couldn't you just... I dunno, tell the cops to check that out? Tell them to match it to the records they have on my brother?"

Derek shook his head sadly, indicating that he couldn't. He had thought of this idea also, though he was surprised that Terrence had come up with such a thing.

"We can't give your brother away to the cops," he said, determined. "Not yet, anyway. I haven't even checked to see if this stuff has hit the public yet. Trust me, your brother doesn't want his name out there publically. If there's any chance at all he didn't completely panic and call it all off if he heard I met with the cops, he'll definitely do it if I turn him in. This is better kept a secret."

And so they hit another snag in the road. They had rock solid evidence against the real criminal, against someone who should have never been released from prison in the first place. They could so easily frame him, give him jail time, if they wanted. And yet they knew that risking such a thing would mean risking the lives of three innocent people- four, if you counted Derek's unborn son or daughter in the equation.

And they both understood that it wasn't worth the risk.

* * *

**So I didn't hear from some of you last time. I dropped from 20 reviews, to 8. Any criticism or feedback is helpful, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) :) I know it feels like things are moving slowly, but they will speed up soon, I assure you. I have been off school sick all week so I'm doing alot of writing right now, which is always good! :) **

**Reviews are love :) **


	24. Last Will

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Last Will**

When Derek walked into his living room the next morning, he wasn't at all surprised to see that, true to his word, Andrew had shown up bright and early. He was sitting quietly on the windowsill facing the front of the house, feet propped up in front of him, arms resting on his knees. His head was leaned back against the wood behind him, and while he was back on to him, Derek was almost certain that there was a lost sort of expression on his face. An eerie sort of silence seemed to envelope him, and Derek felt almost intrusive as he took a step further into the living room, hands stuffed awkwardly into his pockets.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said quietly, as not to startle him. Andrew turned slowly to fix him with a confused look, and Derek gave an awkward sort of half shrug, biting his lower lip gently.

"I was an idiot yesterday," he got out, trying to sound sincere. "A huge idiot."

Andrew raised an eyebrow, though Derek could not tell whether or not his amusement was genuine or not.

"That would be different from any other day, how?" Andrew questioned, and while this may have come off as a joke, Derek knew that he seriously meant it. "I may be your best friend, but I'm not going to lie to you. You do something idiotic every single day of your life. Why would yesterday have been any different?"

Derek rolled his eyes, folding his arms together across his chest casually as he raised his eyebrows at Andrew.

"Gee, thanks man," he remarked sarcastically, amused. "Nothing like boosting my ego, right?"

"Dude, if your ego got anymore inflated, it'd be riding shotgun in your car, okay?" Andrew shot back, laughing. "Your ego doesn't need anymore boosting man, trust me on this one."

Derek considered arguing back, but he knew that Andrew was probably right. Casey had turned him soft over the years, but he still had a ridiculously large ego to boot.

"Look, point is, I shouldn't have overreacted about you and Casey," he said, trying to tone things down between them a little. "You're my best friend, and I know you're always looking out for my best interests. And Casey..."

He trailed off, frowning, and Andrew swung his legs out beside him, planting his feet firmly on the floor again. He leaned forwards, tangling his hands together in front of his knees before speaking up.

"Casey loves you, Derek," he said pointedly, shaking his head. "Never doubt that."

Derek swallowed hard, wanting with all of his heart to believe that his doubt could seriously amount to nothing- that he was just overreacting, here.

"If she loves me as much as she claims, why can she go to you with her secrets, and not me?"

"Maybe because they're not really secrets," Andrew suggested, shrugging. "It's not like she's hiding anything from you, man. It's just... you confuse her sometimes, I think. There's times when she's doubted what you feel for her, and I think I'm the only one she trusted enough to get a second opinion from."

"Casey's doubted what I feel for her?" he repeated, his throat dry all of a sudden. "Why? There shouldn't be a doubt in her mind how I feel about her. She knows I'm always going to love her, doesn't she?"

Andrew was quiet, and when Derek noticed him staring blankly at his hands, he frowned, his stomach churning with an unpleasant sort of feeling.

"She _does _know that, doesn't she, Drew?"

Andrew continued to hold his gaze downwards, apparantly unable to look his best friend in the eye. Derek knew that the tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife, and he felt himself breathing heavily, the panic welling up in his throat almost unbearable.

"You ignore her every single time she brings up marriage," he finally spoke up, his voice quiet and ashamed, as though he felt he were committing some sort of a betrayal, by revealing this to Derek. He did not look up once, and Derek felt his face fall as Andrew continued, letting it all out now.

"All of her friends are married or engaged, and the ones that aren't are single," he carried on, lifting his right shoulder into a shrug. "You two have been together for seven years now, and I guess a marriage sort of seemed inevitable." He paused, taking in a deep breath, before looking up at Derek's crestfallen face, reluctantly continuing. "When she was pregnant with Rebecca, she came to me alot, wondering whether or not I knew anything. People had been asking her about your plans for the future, and she didn't want to give off too much hope, if nothing was going to happen. You hadn't mentioned anything to me, so I wasn't really much help to her, and eventually, she gave up asking me about it."

Derek fell back against the wall, pressing his palms flat against his face, trying to erase all of the horrible and painstaking thoughts that were racing through his mind right about now. He figured that Andrew was done talking, but moments later, he heard him speak up again, sounding like he was nowhere near done.

"She didn't mention anything to me for the longest time," he continued, sighing. "She sort of let the marriage thing slide, and she tried to be happy with what you two had, and I told her that you loved her enough to stay with her, wedding or no wedding."

There was a pause, before he continued.

"She was okay until about six months back, at your ten year high-school reunion," he said, frowning. "I wasn't there, but Casey came to me a couple of days later, upset."

Thinking back, Derek recalled the change in Casey's mood halfway through the reunion party, and his hands slid away from his face as he remembered that day in more detail.

- - -

_Derek was leaning against the wall, trying not to suffocate under the stuffy white collar of the dress shirt that Casey had forced him into. He'd tried his best to make do with a pair of faded blue jeans, and his leather jacket, but she had claimed that this was his high school reunion, and that he needed to make a better impression than that. He'd claimed that he'd gotten through high school just fine with his messy, casual look, but that theory hadn't flown with her. Despite his arguing, she'd gotten him into dress pants and a button up shirt, though he had put his foot down at the striped tie she had picked out for him. She had attempted to run a comb through his hair to make it lie flat, but the messy brown tangles had a mind of their own, and they refused to budge from their casual, random stylings. _

_Looking up, he saw Casey walking across his path, head bowed, a frown on her lips. She appeared as though she hadn't seen him, and she had almost gotten past when he reached out, wrapping his long fingers around her much smaller wrist. She looked up, gasping, but relaxed when her eyes fell on her boyfriend, smirking at her happily. _

_  
"Didn't think you'd get away that quick, did you?" he murmered, before pulling her to him, and dropping her wrist to wrap his arms firmly around her waist. She hesitated, but wrapped her arms around his neck slowly, a faraway sort of look in her eyes. _

_"Where'd you go?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow curiously. "You left to go use the washroom fifteen minutes ago." _

_"What?" she asked, obviously distracted. When his forehead creased with concern, she shook her head dismissively, closing her eyes briefly. "Oh, right, sorry," she threw back, with a fake sort of laugh."I ran into a couple of our old friends on the way back, and you know how easily distracted I get." _

_"Not too distracted, I hope," he murmered, scanning her body up and down with a mischevious sort of gleam to his eyes. "Wouldn't want any other guys to catch your eye, right?"_

_She hesitated, but let out a tiny smile, nodding her head. _

_  
"Right," she agreed, but the tone of her voice remained void of any type of emotion. Within an instant, her atittude changed, and she unwrapped herself from his hold, taking a step backwards. "I promised Noel I'd save him a dance, okay?" she excused, sounding distracted. "I'll be back soon." _

_She turned to leave, but Derek was much quicker than her. He pushed himself away from the wall, clasping his hand around her wrist gently. He turned her back towards him, a concerned sort of look in his eyes as he shook his head, frowning. _

_  
"Case, what's wrong?" he asked her, sensing that there was something more on her mind. "You seem..." he hesitated, searching for the right word. "Well, I don't know what it is, but you're not yourself. Twenty minutes ago, you were all excited about this thing, and now you seem like you can't wait to leave. Did something happen that I should know about?" _

_She frowned at him, and for a moment, he was sure that she was about to tell him something. She opened her mouth with something like determination, and there was something more to the way she shook her head a second later, dismissing the idea. _

_  
"No," she said, an obvious lie. "There's nothing." He fixed her with a doubtful look, and she grasped the back of his neck gently, pulling him closer. Her lips pressed to his in a quick, reassuring kiss, and she forced a smile in his direction as she shook her head, sighing. _

_  
"You worry too much," she dismissed, as though this solved the matter. "Go talk with Sam for awhile, okay?" she suggested, nodding towards a group of Dereks old friends, who were sharing a few drinks on the far right side of the room. "I'll be back after this song, okay? Love you." _

- - -

"What happened at the reunion?" he asked, a dark undertone to his voice now. "One second she was all cheerful, and the next, it was like it was the last place in the world she wanted to be. I asked her what was wrong, but I couldn't get anything out of her. She told me it was nothing."

"It was Amy," Andrew said immediately, raising an eyebrow pointedly. "You know, that ex-girlfriend of Max's?"

Derek frowned, not seeing what Amy had to do with anything. Realizing that Derek was not following, Andrew carried on.

"Amy must have seen you two together, and when she saw Casey go past, she made a few... _questionable_ comments, loud enough so that she knew Casey could hear them."

"What did she say?" Derek asked, feeling his hands clench into fists beside him, despite himself, feeling abruptly glad that he was man enough never to hit a girl. Lucky for Amy.

"She started laughing with her friends about how Casey was just your... 'flavour of the week', or whatever. She joked with her friends about how ironic it was that you hadn't committed to her yet, and that Casey should start taking that as a hint."

_'I don't hit girls,_' Derek reminded himself, grinding his teeth to keep from screaming. _'I don't hit girls, I don't hit girls, I don't hit girls._'

It was all that was keeping him from tracking down Amy, and making her pay for hurting Casey like that. Sure, Casey may have been Max's rebound after his breakup with Amy, but was a insignificant little breakup really worth a ten year grudge? What's more, was it worth damaging the confidence that Casey had in her relationship with Derek?

"So she thinks I don't want to be committed to her, is that what you're saying?" he questioned, already knowing the answer. When Andrew didn't reply, he felt his anger well up, and he found himself speaking up again, more harshly this time. "Well that's complete and total bull, and Casey should have the common sense to know that. I've never been more serious about a relationship than I have been about her. She knows that."

"She doesn't doubt that you love her, Derek, not for a second," Andrew rushed to explain, sensing a moodswing coming up. "She just... I guess she wonders sometimes, why you're so reluctant to take that step with her. She doesn't see why it should be a big deal, finalizing something you both claim to want."

"I don't want to finalize it, because I actually want it to _last!_" Derek blurted out, before he could stop himself. Confusion flitted across Andrew's face, and before he could realize what he had said, he was continuing, letting the words tumble out of his mouth before he could process them in his head. "All I know is that I love Casey more than I've ever loved anyone in my life, and while I apparantly don't show it enough, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm gonna stay at her side for as long as she wants me, and I'm going to stick with her through everything that life throws at us, no matter how stubborn she is sometimes. But every good relationship I've ever known in my life... well, marriage has just been the kiss of death for them, and I don't want that to happen with me and Casey!"

Andrew was completely silent now, focusing entirely on Derek's words, and he continued, breathing heavily.

"I would much rather stay Casey's _boyfriend_ for the rest of my life and never lose her, rather than get married and end up just the same as my parents, not to mention hers. It's just... it's not worth the risk, alright, Drew?"

Andrew squinted at Derek, as though he were studying him religiously, and Derek shook his head bitterly, turning his head in the other direction.

"Forget it," he muttered, unable to help the slight resentment that crept into his voice at the phrase. "You'd never understand something like this. You haven't met your Casey yet."

"Oh no?" Andrew challenged darkly, and when Derek's eyes snapped up to meet with his, he blushed slightly, drawing himself back a bit.

"I'm just saying," he excused, breathing in heavily. "Don't judge people until you knwo the full story, okay? Christ, Derek; I could be in love with Casey for all you knew, and you'd be too focused on your own problems to notice."

Derek's eyes narrowed instinctively, and Andrew held up a cautious sort of hand, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly into an amused smile.

"Not the case, D," he assured him, and Derek had to believe that he was being honest. "Casey's your girl, I know that. It's a hypothetical statement."

Derek relaxed again, and he let out a patiently held breath, reaching up to run a hand through his messy brown hair. As it fell back down around his eyes in the exact same fashion as before, he gave up, pushing both hands down into his pockets again.

"I know I'm being stupid," he got out, focusing his attention on the floor. "I've never explained any of this to everyone before, but I just... I'm... well..."

"Afraid of failure?" Andrew suggested quietly, and as much as Derek wished he could deny the accusation, he was forced to give a stiff nod of the head, confirming this.

"Afraid we're gonna fail, yeah," he admitted, and he had to confess that it _did_ feel like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "I mean, every great couple I ever knew has failed in marriage. It's almost like... I dunno, the weight of the committment just tears things to shambles, for them."

"And you don't think your love for Casey could withstand something like that?" Andrew challenged, and when Derek narrowed his eyes at him, he chuckled, continuing. "Derek, I can see where you're coming from, I really can. Your parents divorced when you were still pretty young, and that couldn't have been easy on you. And Casey's parents, they divorced too, and I know that must have been a rough time for her." He paused, lifting both of his shoulders into an effortless shrug. "But if divorce never happened, then blended families would be impossible too. And if blended families were ruled out..."

"Then I wouldn't have met Casey," he finished for Andrew, his voice quiet as he ran over this thought in his head. If his father hadn't divorced his mother, same as Dennis had with Nora, where would he be today? He would still have happily married parents, and Edwin and Marti would still be in his life, but would he be _here_, living in a nice home, with an amazing girlfriend, blessed with the daughter that every man wished was his own? If the merge between their households had not happened, would they still have found each other, somehow? He liked to think that their bond was strong enough to withhold anything, that fate had brought them together, but that was Casey's sort of thing. Derek, he didn't believe in that lovesick, fate bull. If his father hadn't of married Nora, his chances of meeting Casey would've been very slim, and he knew it.

He felt his temples ache as he scrunched up his forehead, pressing a hand against his forehead with frustration.

"This can all go on the back burner for now, can't it?" he stressed, feeling a headache coming on. "I mean, yeah, this is obviously some heavy stuff, but I think it's more important that we focus on getting them back first. The rest will sort itself out later, right?"

Andrew hesitated, perhaps trying to figure out if this was Derek's way of avoiding the subject, or a genuine reasoning behind not wanting to talk. To be honest, it was a little bit of both, but Andrew seemed to understand that Derek's words had a valid point, and that there were much heavier things to deal with right now.

And so he nodded, letting his chest heave as he let out a relieved sort of breath, perhaps just as eager to put an end to the serious stuff as Derek was.

"You're right," he said, giving a forced sort of half smile. "This can wait. We have to focus on getting the girls home first. Dylan, too."

Derek gave a single nod of the head, turning to walk back into the kitchen, but he hadn't even made it to the doorway when he heard Andrew speak up behind him again, his voice quieter this time.

"Derek?" he called, apprehensive.

Derek tilted his head in the direction of Andrew's voice, but he did not turn his body to face him. Andrew paid no attention to this as he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, apparantly finding this somewhat awkward.

"You had a good reason to be angry with me," he admitted, and Derek was relievedto hear that he sounded genuinely apologetic. "I'm not saying it's not okay for Casey to go to someone else with her problems from time to time, and I'm not saying that you didn't overreact, but... your reasons were justified. I know how much it hurts when someone you love keeps things from you."

Derek wanted to challenge Andrew on that one, to tell him that he couldn't possibly know how that felt, but there was no need to kick a dead horse. The matter was done, it was over with. They had both given some awkward, avoiding sort of apology to the other, and Derek was willing to drop the matter, so long as Andrew was.

So he said nothing as he walked from the room, fully prepared to make the best of a bad situation. There were only thirteen hours left to the day, and Derek was determined to put every last second of that time towards finding his family.

He would bring them home, if it was the last thing he did.

- - - -

If there was something that Derek loved about being an investigator, aside from seeing the smile on someone's face when he truly helped them out, it was the pure rush and ecstasy he felt when he caught onto something new, when an idea of sorts hatched in his head. He could go for days without so much as a single useful thought; he could sit with his head in his hands for hours, ready to give up on a case, when something would occur to him, snap, just like that.

Today was one of those days.

He found himself sitting at his desk at around three o'clock that afternoon, scanning through the newspaper article that they had found at the Kirkland's old house. He had merely tossed it to the side the day before, but during one of his self-pity modes about an hour before, he had been allowing yesterday's events to run through his mind again, and something that Casey had said to him on the phone had really jogged his memory.

_"I think it's some sort of warehouse,"_ she had told him, every hint of a frown in her voice. _"We're really high up. They had us blindfolded coming in, but it sounds like we're close to the city. We can hear traffic down below when he lets us out of our room, but there's no windows in the one he keeps us in." _

A warehouse. If there had been any knowledge gained from his conversation with Casey yesterday, it had been that they were quite possibly in a warehouse. Immediately after this recollection, Derek had reached for the newspaper clipping on his desk, and he had scanned line after line until he found something that was of any sort of use to him.

_"The property of Mr. Reynolds former manufacturing company has been left to an unnamed son, a man in his thirties. The Toronto warehouse has not been used for nearly three years now, and Mr. Reynold's attorney claims that the building needs alot of development, if it is to be used again in the future. No word yet as to whether or not Mr. Reynold's son plans on rebuilding his father's company." _

Reynolds. Derek had spent the last two hours researching this guy's business, and he had found out a fair amount about him. From what little he found on the internet, Bryce Reynolds was a successful businessman for much of his life- earning top dollar, scoring interviews with all of the fancy business magazines and TV shows, and making a fortune that most men could only dream of. He'd made investments, some more risky than others, and eventually it had caught up to him. He'd made a bad investment about eight or nine years back, and it had plunged him hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt. He'd struggled to pay it off- cutting down jobs, increasing prices, bringing family into the business to avoid as high of wages, but it hadn't been enough in the end. His company had shut down a few years back, and Mr. Reynolds had managed to hold onto his property, and pay off his debt. His company had been unsalvagable, and he had resorted to nothing more than a lazy, good for nothing alcoholic, something that had been under the surface all along.

But Reynold's business profile had not been all that Derek had dug up, and a bit of further snooping had shown Derek that the guy wasn't just a business-man, he was a father, too. More specifically, a father of sons.

He was just pulling up a search engine to do a bit more snooping on the name of said sons, when he heard a faint tap on the door, and he looked up to see Sam leaning against the wooden doorway, eyebrows raised. When he saw Derek looking at him, he flashed his best friend a brilliant sort of smile, giving a half nod.

"Sup, D?" he asked, and despite his initial shock, Derek found himself rushing to stand up, pulling Sam into a rough, one-armed hug. Sam returned the hug with a chuckle, patting Derek on the back as he pulled back, grins plastered across both of their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked, for Sam's visits had become less and less frequent since his transfer to Toronto. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"I had to drive my sister into London for a meeting," he offered carelessly, sighing. "I hadn't seen you or Case in awhile, so I figured I'd drop in for a visit."

Before Derek could come up with an excuse as to where the girls were, a voice spoke up from his doorway again, and he glanced over Sam's shoulder to see Terrence leaning casually in the doorway, an open can of Pringles in his hand.

"You know, you really need to hide these things better," he suggested through a mouthful of Pringles. "I'm gonna be a good three hundred pounds by the time all of this is over, I swear."

Sam turned at the sound of the voice, doing a double take when he saw a slightly older, vaguely taller version of the man that Derek had once despised, the man who had betrayed him seven years before. Derek saw realization sweep across his face as his mouth hung open. He turned back to Derek with a dumbstruck expression as Terrence offered the can towards Derek, raising an eyebrow.

"Take one, really. Don't contribute to my future obesity, I beg of you."

Derek could not help but chuckle as he breezed past Sam, obliging to Terrence's request. He grabbed a Pringle from the can that Terrence extended to him. Popping it into his mouth, he turned to Sam, raising an eyebrow at him suggestively.

"You want one?"

Sam glanced back and forth between Terrence and Derek, a finger half raised questioningly towards them. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face, something that he almost wanted to laugh at, but he managed to keep a straight face as Sam shook his head, bewildered.

"You... and he..."

"Yeah, the name's Terrence," Terrence offered uncertainly, taking a step further into the room. "You're Sam, right?"

"Uh..."

Sam glanced back and forth between the two of them skeptically, and Derek rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest.

"It's a long story, trust me," he started, unsure of where to begin. "To make a long story short, the girls are gone again, and Terrence and Andrew are here to help me get them back. Feel free to join the madness, if you've got nothing better to do with your time."

Sam was silent, his jaw dropped with shock, and for the first time, Derek could not bring himself to feel anxious about letting someone else in on their secret. Nothing had appeared in the media over the past day or so, and Derek could only assume that the law enforcement had used reasonable threats to keep this story out of the news. Whatever was keeping the disappearances out of public eye was his saving grace, for he did not want more people than necessary to know about the kidnappings.

But Sam, he was on the list of people he could trust. And with that list growing smaller and smaller every single day, it was nice to know you still had your friends.

- - - -

Derek had woken up in a horrible mood, but by nine o'clock that evening, he was more hopeful than he had been in the past several days. First had come his make-up with Andrew, and next had been his discovery of Reynold's past. Sam had shown up, proving to be fairly accepting of the situation, and now, he had an actual location to go by.

Marcus Evans, childhood friend of Jacob Wilson, had always gone by his mother's surname. He hadn't had much of a close relationship with his ever-absent father, and their only time together had been the two or three weeks out of the year when his mother would ship him off for some "close bonding" with his alcohol loving, business obsessed father. After his eighteenth birthday, he had cut off all contact whatsoever with his father, and it had come to a real shocker to the rest of the family when the property had been left to him in his father's will.

"I can't believe you found all of this out this afternoon," Derek said in awe, leaning back against the back of the couch. "Andrew, did I ever tell you you're the best best friend ever?"

"Excuse me?" Sam challenged, with a raise of the eyebrow, and Derek quickly glanced back at him, giving a sheepish grin.

"In close tie with Sam, of course," he corrected, and Sam merely rolled his eyes as he looked away, glancing back down at the picture that Andrew had placed on the coffee table in front of them.

The picture was of a small family, a man, woman and small child, who appeared to be around Rebecca's age. The man was tall and burly, dressed nicely, but there was a darkness to his eyes that suggested he was not the happy-go-lucky family man that he appeared to be. He had short brown hair, cropped just above his ears, and his green eyes stood out in the picture, narrowed almost bitterly at the camera before them. He appeared to be in his early thirties, late twenties- not much older than Derek.

The woman next to him was pretty, maybe a couple of years younger than Marcus himself. Her long blonde hair flowed down over her shoulders and down her back, and her sidebang was pinned back with a blue and silver butterfly clip, to keep it out of her eyes. She was dressed in a gentle blue sundress, and her bright blue eyes shone with happiness as she wrapped her arms around the man beside her, clearly very in love.

The little girl in front of them was around the same age as Rebecca, and a perfect combination of both of her parents. Her father's brown hair fell past her shoulders in soft curls, while her eyes reflected her mother's in exact detail. She wore light blue jeans and a pink vest, a white t-shirt visible underneath. She was not smiling, but there was a happiness in her eyes that suggested she was merely timid. She drew back from the camera slightly, and one of her hands was curled around her father's beside her as she leaned back against her parents.

"So this is Reynold's son?" Derek asked, for what felt like the tenth time. When Andrew nodded, he shook his head, sighing. "Where did you get this?"

Leaning back in his armchair, Andrew stretched his arms out in front of him, stifling a yawn.

"I went back to Kirkland's old place, asked around the town," he explained, shrugging. "Like that kid told us the other night; it's a small town, word gets around. It wasn't too hard for me to find out who this guy was."

"And the warehouse," Derek stated excitedly, raising an eyebrow. "You think you can get the location?"

Andrew nodded, smiling faintly.

"In a heartbeat," he assured him, nodding his head. "We're gonna get her back, D. I promise you, we are."

And with the determination in his voice, it was hard not to believe him.

* * *

**So the story is going to pick up once they find this warehouse, but I assure you, this kidnapping is the LEAST of the drama in this story. Derek is definitely in for a LONG and bumpy ride. I'm not sure how long this story is going to get, but I suspect it will be my longest yet. **

**Regardless, review, and check out the alternate ending I wrote to Into the Night, if you want. It's called Without You, and it's posted on my profile now!:) **

**Let me know what you thought. You guys rock!**


	25. Answers

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Answers**

Today marked the end of Derek's first week without Casey. Things definitely hadn't gotten any easier to deal with yet, but he was learning how to deal with his time more appropriately. Instead of sulking, he concentrated on the case at hand, scoping out possibilites and theories about the best way to get Casey back.

On this particular morning, he was sitting on the back step with Terrence and Sam, flipping through a few things that Terrence had brought along with him the night before. He had placed some photographs of his brother in the folder, along with the only pictures that he possessed of Marcus Evans and Matthew Leary- the _real_ Matthew.

The photograph of Jacob wasn't recent, considering he had just spent the last several years in prison, but he was easily distinguishable as the man that Derek had met with for lunch, the man that he had assumed to be Matthew Leary, all this time. He was considerably younger in the photograph, but the image was the same. Same arched forehead- much like his brothers- same dark hair, though slightly longer, and much more shaggier than Jacob's current hairstyle. His eyes were still a chilling tone of blue, and that look had existed on his face even then- the look that suggested such evil had dwelled in him long ago.

"Was your brother always this evil?" he muttered, dropping the photograph carelessly into the folder again. Terrence looked up, raising an eyebrow, and he continued. "Sorry, but there's just this... I dunno, _look_ about him. He looks like he's ready to rip your head off, or something."

Terrence bowed his head, chuckling half-heartedly, and he gave a humoured shake of the head as he responded.

"Jake was never a ray of sunshine, let me tell you that much," Terrence offered, a half smile on his lips as he looked up again, staring into space. "He was the kid that broke all your toys just for badness, the one that made all the little kids on the block cower in fear."

Derek could picture this easily in his head; a toddler version of Terrence sitting on a broken down porch step, trying to mend a broken Tonka truck, while a little punk of an elementry-schooler walked down the road with a few wing-men, smirking smugly everytime the other kids shot him looks of fear. The scene was typical of that of a movie, and he could not help but smile a little as he nodded with agreement.

"I believe that," he offered, before flopping back into his seat, sighing. "How long can Drew possibly take to figure out _one_ location, honestly? He's been gone for what, three hours?"

"Actually, it's been half an hour," Terrence corrected, raising an eyebrow at his impatience. "Seriously, man, you need to calm down a little. These things take time."

Derek scowled, unable to handle such simple advice.

"What sort of advice is that?" he challenged, his voice dripping with impatience. "Calm down a little? My girlfriend and daughter are _missing_, Terrence. My girlfriend's pregnant with my second child, in case you haven't heard. If your idiot of a brother decides to use my girlfriend as a personal punching bag, there's _two_ lives at risk, okay? It's not just her life he's endangering, anymore."

There was a pause in which Terrence bowed his head, showing all the signs that he was ashamed of his unfortunate connection to Jacob. He kept his eyes fixed solidly on his lap, and while Derek did not want to make him anymore uncomfortable than he clearly was, he could not help but voice another concern, a frown set on his lips.

"Is Jacob..." he trailed off, swallowing hard to fight back any trace of weakness in his voice. When he had regained a bit of self-composure, he straightened up and tried again.

"Is your brother as violent as Mark and Franz were?" he asked, hoping for some sort of answer that would prove his luck wasn't _completely_ horrible. "I know he's violent, I can tell that much by his last name," he added, ignoring the cringe that graced Terrence's features. "I just need to know if they're in worse danger than before," he explained, giving an off-hand shrug. "I don't want a pity answer, I want the truth. If Casey is in more danger in his hands than she was in theirs, I deserve to know."

Terrence remained silent, but Derek took notice of the clenching of his hands into fists against his lap. His knuckles turned white under the strain, and Derek found his eyes narrowing as he leaned forwards in the white, plastic lawn chair, suspicions flowing.

"You're doing good with redeeming yourself so far," he said, an almost threatening note to his voice as he shook his head, glaring. "-don't screw it all up now."

Terrence said nothing, and Derek drew back slightly, aiming for a different approach.

"Come on," he coaxed, trying not to sound as angry as he had before. "What's there to lose in giving me a bit of information? It's not like you're betraying him, really; you're just telling me what you know from experience."

Terrence raised his gaze to meet with Derek's, but before he could utter a single word, the back gate swung open, crashing violently against the siding of the house closest to the fence. Derek winced at the sound, but displayed no concern for the siding of his house when he saw Andrew striding into the garden, taking no care to close the gate behind him.

Holding a stapled booklet of white papers above his head, he flashed a grin from ear to ear, a brightness lingering in his eyes that had not existed when he had left.

"I've got it," he called out, practically throwing himself up the two steps to the patio, stumbling to a halt in front of Derek's chair, his grin never fading. "The building Jacob's got them in? I think I know where it is!"

Derek immediately forgot about his conversation with Terrence, leaning forwards towards Andrew as he waited eagerly, wanting to know more.

"Where are they?" he questioned, unable to hide the eagerness in his voice. "Are they okay? Were you there already?"

"Relax," Andrew interrupted, holding up a hand to silence his friend. "I haven't been there yet, but I'm almost positive we've got our place. If I'm reading the signs correctly, it's something we've overlooked all along."

"Just get on with it, before you give poor Derek a heart attack," Terrence said, only half joking. He gave a pointed nod of the head towards an impatient Derek, and after a brief glance in Derek's direction, Andrew let out a sigh, nodding his head in agreement.

"The warehouse," he confirmed, his eyes never leaving Derek's. "You were right about it, man. Bryce Reynold's son, Marcus Evans- the guy Casey told us about on the phone? He inherited any property his father owned prior to his death, warehouse included."

"He owns the warehouse?" Derek asked, unable to believe that something was finally going right for him.

Andrew nodded, grinning like an idiot as he replied. "The place has been deserted for a couple of years now, and Evans hasn't bothered putting it up for sale."

"So?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow uncertainly. "What's the big deal about that? Wouldn't the guy be a bit more hung up on his father's death right now? Selling off a useless piece of land is probably the farthest thing from his mind, in my opinion."

Terrence shook his head in disagreement, his eyes fixed on the coffee table as he folded his hands together between his legs. "Marcus couldn't give a damn about his father, Sam, trust me. He grew up with his mother, and she was the one who forced him to visit his father every summer. The second he turned eighteen, he made it no secret that he hated the guy. They haven't spoken in years, from what I understand."

"Okay, so the dude hated his father, but that doesn't mean he would've hawked off the guy's land the second he died, does it?"

"You don't understand his type," Terrence excused, dismissing Sam's lack of knowledge as excuseable. "The guy's no good, trust me. His wife waits tables for a living, and the last I checked, Marcus was pawning off stolen goods to support his kid. Dude would've jumped at the opportunity to make a bit of extra cash- especially at his father's expense."

"And the land- would that have been worth much?" Derek asked, unable to slow his racing heart. Something was finally coming together for him, and the natural high that that brought was so incredible to him.

Andrew flipped to the third page of the paper booklet he was holding, slapping it down on the plastic garden table in front of Derek. He pressed his finger to a column of numbers halfway down the page, giving a determined sort of nod.

"The warehouse is fully developed, sits on quite a fair bit of land, too." He paused, before continuing. "If Marcus was really as desperate for money as Terrence says he is, he would've had the warehouse up for sale before his father's body was cold in the ground."

"Unless he had another purpose for it," Derek threw in, catching on.

Andrew flashed him a grin, pointing a finger at his best friend to commend him for his quick thinking.

"Precisely," he confirmed.

He leaned forwards again, turning a couple of pages. Derek squinted down at the new page, recognizing a photograph of a black car; a 2007 Mustang.

Before he could piece this one together, Andrew had rushed on, apparantly eager to share all of the knowledge that he had gained.

"Furthermore, I ran a registration check on the model you and Terrence told me about," he said, and realization dawned over Derek as he remembered the order he had given to Andrew from day one, to look into recently purchased black Mustangs, 2007 models, to be precise. Craig, the boy from Kingston, had told Derek and Terrence that Jacob had been driving this type of car, and if Andrew could find a list of recent purchases, they could possibly get a liscense plate number.

As if on the same thought train, Andrew spoke up again, almost rambling with excitement. "I went to a few local dealerships," he explained, glancing between the three men to ensure they all understood where he was going with this. "I figured Jacob would've sprung for a secondhand deal, with his background."

He threw Terrence a half-apologetic look, forcing a cringe onto his features.

"No offense, man," he offered, perhaps realizing that insulting Jacob's past could also mean insulting Terrence's own history.

But Terrence waved a hand dismissively, genuinely forgiving the comment at hand.

"Jake's white trash, trust me, I know," he excused, not a hint of shame in his voice. "It doesn't matter- just continue."

Andrew nodded his head, no hesitance or reluctance in his eyes as he continued. "There were only four secondhand models purchased this month, and I managed to get the names of all four buyers," he said, nodding towards his list again.

Derek reached down, picking up the paper booklet in his right hand. Squinting at the list before him, he saw four names written below the photograph, indicating the new owners of used 2007 Mustangs.

"Sarah Patey, Henry Wiseman, Joshua Cooley, and Marcus Reynolds," he read off.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed together, and he frowned. "Marcus _Reynolds_?"

"They wanted to throw us off," Terrence guessed, nodding his head. "They figured we'd search Evans, Leary, and Wilson, but never Reynolds- not with Marcus's name, anyway."

"I've got Cohen running a check on the liscense plate number as we speak," Andrew said, referring to the officer who had taken over Derek's case only days before- the man that he assured them would not share anything primal with the more public side of law enforcement.

"So why can't we just go to the warehouse and get them back?" Sam asked, once again displaying just how new he was to all of this.

Andrew and Derek, they both understood without a doubt just how dangerous these situations could be. Derek could remember how frustrated he had been the first time around, when Andrew had not allowed him to break Casey out of the basement that Mark and Franz had held her in, seven years ago. He could remember arguing with the investigator over how useless he felt, being so close to her, and so unable to help her. He had resented Andrew at the time- he had thought that the man was just trying to make things more difficult for him.

But now, with six and a half years of experience under his belt, he understood. He had worked these types of cases before, and he knew just how important it was to _always_ have a plan, to have backup ready at every twist and turn- at every corner imaginable. He knew that there needed to be backup _to_ your backup, in case all else failed. Marcus, Matthew, and Jacob could have just about every precaution taken to ensure the warehouse was gaurded, and that was something they needed to look into before barging in on some sort of half-planned rescue mission.

"We need a plan," Derek said patiently, earning a nod from his partner. "We need to learn more about this place, see what sort of precautions they're holding against us. If they've got cameras set up in this place-"

"-which I'm sure they do, this being a former business," Andrew threw in, and Derek nodded in agreement, not lifting his gaze from the sheet before him.

"Right, and if this place had a security system hooked up beforehand, I'm sure they had no problem getting it up and running again now, especially after I showed Jacob how to hook up the camera system in his apartment," he said, a slight hint of resentment in his voice as he realized how he had inadvertently aided Jacob, if only slightly.

Pushing this thought from his mind, he flipped the booklet shut, pressing it firmly against Andrew's chest again. Andrew grasped it within his hands, sighing as he looked back and forth between the three of them, as though uncertain of his next move. The excitement in his eyes was still there, but much like Derek, he looked almost nervous, as though he was falling slightly short of _scared_ of what would come next. Normally, they were like dynamite- everything fell into a smooth, predictable sort of lineup.

In any other case, things would go bang, bang, done- one after the other. There wouldn't be a single ounce of doubt in their minds about which direction a case should go in- about what their next move would be.

But when a case affected someone that they both loved, when it affected one of their own... then things became just a little bit more complicated. Every move had to be carefully thought out- well planned, smoothly carried through. If one little detail was overlooked, if they made _one_ step in the wrong direction, they might never bring the girls home.

As though reading his mind, Andrew spoke up, his voice slightly tense with worry.

"We need to go about this carefully," he said, stating the obvious. "We can't afford to screw this up. If Jacob finds out we're onto him, if he thinks we know their location-"

"He'll panic," Terrence finished quietly, his hands folded together in front of him.

All eyes turned to him, but Terrence did not lift his gaze from the ground as he continued, his voice lowered as though he were speaking more to himsef than anything else.

"I know my brother, and I know how he operates," he said quietly, shaking his head. "If he thinks there's a chance we've figured him out, or that this thing is getting too risky, he'll bail."

Derek's stomach clenched unpleasantly, and he found himself digging his fingernails into his palms, trying to keep his tension a bit less obvious. "Define _bail_," he said, uncertain. "You don't mean that he'd..."

"I don't know," Terrence said, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked up at Derek, his gaze slightly flustered. "It could go either way, with Jacob. He could just give in and let them go, or he could end this thing violently."

"Would he really let them go, if he thought he might get caught?" Sam asked doubtfully, tilting his head slightly to the right.

Terrence frowned, looking towards Sam, who blushed a little as he continued. "I mean, they've all seen his face- Casey, Becca, and Dylan, that is. They know what all three of them look like. Do you honestly think your brother would let them go, knowing as much as they do?"

Derek felt his heart hammering madly in his chest at Sam's words, and his voice was shaky as he replied. "Sam's got a point," he offered, half reluctant. "Dylan and the girls know too much for Jacob to ever let them go, at this point. They've seen their faces, they've probably overheard them talking about alot of things... it'd be much too risky for your brother to ever let them go."

Andrew frowned, turning his gaze towards the ground, apparantly at a loss for words. It was quite clear that he was thinking hard about the matter, but Terrence paid him no matter as he rubbed his temple gingerly, his eyebrows furrowed together in a single line of frustration.

"I dunno," he admitted, obvious uncertainty in his voice. "Jacob's a hard guy to figure out. The dude's my brother; I've known him my entire life, and even I can't figure out the way he thinks, sometimes."

Nobody replied, and Terrence took this as his cue to continue. Without waiting for any input, he carried on, his voice serious and concerned.

"All I can tell you is that Jake is the most self-centered guy in the world," he said, lifting one shoulder into a pointed sort of shrug. "The dude would turn his own brothers in, if it meant he could save his own butt. When it comes down to it, all he cares about is his own happiness."

Something that Terrence had said did not quite fit with Derek, and he found himself frowning, raising his gaze almost uncertainly to Terrence's.

"This whole thing, it only started because I got your brothers thrown in jail," Derek said, shaking his head. "He has to feel _something_ for his family, if he's willing to risk his freedom to get revenge."

Derek was taken aback when Terrence laughed, shaking his head as the slightest hint of amusement flickered across his face. Like Derek, Andrew seemed slightly bewildered by Terrence's reaction, but he chose to say nothing as he waited anxiously for an answer.

When Terrence sobered himself up enough to speak, there was still the slightest trace of a smile on his lips, and he looked vaguely amused as he responded to Derek's statement.

"I should've made myself clearer," he said, half apologetically. "Jacob would turn in any of his _good_ brothers- and that goes the same for cousins. If it was mine or Nathan's butt on the line, we'd be screwed over big time. I might've been in his good graces at one point, a long time ago, but after I turned my back on Mark and Franz to help you and Casey, well..."

He gave a lopsided shrug, and the outcome of this statement was obvious; Jacob might have held the slightest ounce of respect for his brother when Terrence had been a budding criminal, but for Terrence to turn his back on family, to turn over a new leaf... well, in Jacob's books, that was the most disrespectful thing he could've done. And it was quite obvious that his brother was a lost cause to him, these days.

"He doesn't speak to Nate," Terrence continued, and while he tried to sound off-hand, Derek could sense the slightest hint of hurt in his voice. He might have questioned it, but his mind travelled back to how he had felt after Edwin had stormed out of the hotel on him and Casey only weeks before. Over anything else, he could remember how angry he had felt- how betrayed he had been that Edwin would say such things to him. He'd wanted nothing more than to shun Edwin from his life for good, and in fact, he could remember making some rather cheeky comments to Casey about how he didn't care what Edwin thought, or whether Edwin even came around again.

But deep down, it still bugged him that he was on such rocky terms with his brother, and if an opportunity presented itself for the two to patch things up, he knew he'd take it without a doubt. He just wouldn't be caught dead making the first apology, that was all.

And he supposed that, while Jacob was a low-life criminal and basic scum, he was still Terrence's brother, and a part of Terrence still had to wish for a stronger brotherly bond between them.

"Franz and Mark, he'd do anything for," Terrence continued, and Derek had to force himself out of his trance to pay attention to the conversation once more. "He's not a huge fan of Franz's little brother, either. The guy's in university now, but he's going into law enforcement." There was a pause, at which he added- "You can imagine how well that's going over in a family of criminals."

Derek nodded his head at the comment, and he could have sworn that Terrence and Andrew shared a pointed look then, almost as though they were privately noting something between themselves- something that Derek was oblivious to. Derek turned to Andrew, almost expectant of an explanation, but Andrew's cheeks reddened as he returned his gaze to the wooden deck beneath his feet, completely silent.

Derek felt his gut instinct telling him that something was up, that these two were keeping something from him, but there wasn't much he could say in front of Sam. If Andrew was keeping something from Derek, he sure as hell wouldn't say it in front of a stranger- even if that stranger _was _one of Derek's most trusted and respectable friends.

So he pushed it aside as nothing, but in the back of his head, he found himself making a mental note to ask Andrew about this later.

Because he definitely couldn't afford to be left in the dark about anything right now.

- - - -

It was well past eight o'clock when Edwin finally collapsed onto his bed in his university dorm room. He lay sprawled on his back, forcing himself to keep his eyes open, despite his heavy lids.

"Long day?" came a voice from the other end of the room, and he looked up to see his roommate standing in the doorway, an amused grin on his lips as he took a sip of root beer from the can in his hand.

Edwin gave a sarcastic sort of laugh, unable to handle the irony of the question at hand.

"Long day?" he repeated, amused. "Try long _month_. I'm going to be weeks catching up on all of the stuff I missed."

"Yeah, about that," Peter said, pushing his way into the dorm room, and closing the door. "I mean, not that I'm objecting to having the room to myself or anything, but you think you could... oh, I dunno, _tell_ _me_ when you're planning on playing Hide and Go Seek? You spooked off, man."

Edwin frowned for a moment, uncertain of what Peter was talking about, before he remembered that he had forgotten to leave a note before taking off to London the week before. His father had called him last minute, and while he had planned on this being a weekend trip, his brother's current situation had turned his weekend vacation into a week-long ordeal. He had missed four days of classes, and in all honesty, it had been completely unnecessary. He had given Derek some lame excuse about staying the entire week to attend a friend's birthday party the following weekend, but truthfully, that had been a lie. He'd stayed in London under the hopes that Derek would come to home with some sort of an apology, or even asking for some _decent_ sort of help, actually using the words _please_ and _thank you_.

But after Derek's little rampage in his hotel room a few days back, he'd sort of figured that an apology was far from a long shot. Derek wouldn't apologize if his life depended on it, and there was really no use in Edwin hanging around longer than necessary, dishing out good money on a hotel room he didn't need.

And so he had made the lengthy trip home today, not once bothering to call Peter and let him know he was coming home.

Sitting up on his bed, he leaned his back against the headboard, sighing. "Sorry man," he apologized, shaking his head. "I went to spend the weekend with my parents, and I got a little bit sidetracked."

"And you couldn't answer your cellphone?" he asked, and Edwin shrugged a shoulder, unable to explain that one. He often ignored calls he didn't want to answer, this was true. He could admit that he had ignored Peter's calls a couple of times over the past few days, mainly because he'd been busy visiting other friends in London.

But he felt guilty now, and he ran a hand casually through his shaggy dark hair, sighing.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said, hoping that he sounded genuinely apologetic. "You know me, I'm forgetful. But I'm fine, really, what's the big deal?"

Peter hesitated at the foot of Edwin's bed, his sky blue eyes fixed almost anxiously against Edwin's. His light blonde hair was messy today, probably from a game of basketball with the guys, and he brushed it away from his eyes as he slumped his shoulders in defeat, sighing half reluctantly.

"Forget it," he dismissed, sounding as though that was the last thing he wanted to do. "It's not important. It's just cool to know where you go when you disappear for six days at a time, that's all."

Without another word, he crossed the room and collapsed onto his own bed, grabbing a red and blue hackey sack off of the bedside table, and tossing it into the air. He caught it effortlessly in one hand, his eyes fixed almost blankly on the ceiling above him.

Edwin hesitated, wondering whether or not he should question it, before giving an absent minded shake of the head, and tilting his head back against the wall, allowing his eyes to fall shut. He listened carefully for the steady toss and catch of the hackey sack across the room, and he barely noticed when Peter spoke up, sounding a little too off-hand to be completely innocent.

"How's your brother doing?" he asked, and Edwin felt his eyes open up as he frowned in Peter's direction, wishing that his roommate would return the gaze, so he could try and read the look in his eyes.

But he didn't look up, and Edwin forced himself to give a half shrug, unsure of how to answer.

"He's okay, I guess," he dismissed, not wanting to go into the real truth with Peter. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," he said quickly, a little _too_ quickly. "And your stepsister- Cassie, is it?"

"Casey," Edwin said, narrowing his eyes slightly. Peter's whole "play it stupid" game wasn't working very well, for Edwin knew that Peter knew the names of his siblings off by heart. Edwin always talked about his family, and for Peter to suddenly forget his stepsister's name was not believeable in the slightest.

"Yeah, Casey," Peter dismissed, waving a hand carelessly. "How's she doing?"

"She's... she's fine," Edwin said, pushing himself up off of the bed quickly, not wanting to give away that anything was wrong, in regards to his stepsister. "I'm gonna go grab something to eat though. You coming?"

Peter shot him a curious look, as though he knew that Edwin was trying to change the subject quickly, but for whatever reason, he chose to drop the matter. He nodded his head in agreement, tossing the hackey sack back onto the bedside table, and picking up his soda can again.

Taking a quick swig of it, he fell into place behind Edwin, probably just as aware of the awkwardness between them as Edwin was.

* * *

**So a bit of insight about Peter there, too! **

**I actually never thought I would get through this chapter- it was so hard to finish for some reason, so some input from you guys would be VERY appreciated.**

**Once again, sorry about the late update, I'll try to be more consistant now that the holidays are over!**

**Poll results are posted now, so go check those out, and don't forget to review! :) **


	26. Gunshot

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Gunshot**

They set out early the next morning, hoping to get to Toronto by at least eleven AM. The drive to Toronto wasn't overly long- an hour and a half, at most, but with four men crammed into Derek's five passenger car, they were bound to be scheduled for at _least_ three or four pullovers.

And indeed, by the time they drove into the city, they had managed three restroom stops, a motion sickness pullover on Sam's behalf, and a pig-out fest in the car that would've had Casey rambling for days. The backseat of his precious car was littered with candy bar wrappers, half-empty chip bags, and empty soda cans, but Derek could not bring himself to care about any of it. He had barely touched any of the food; he was determined on getting to Toronto, and getting to work. He'd put up with their petty need for restroom stops, and nourishment, but these things were trivial to Derek now- unimportant. His only goal was to get his family back; the rest would fall into place after.

As they pulled to a stop just down the road from the warehouse, Derek breathed out a sigh of relief, flopping back against the seat lazily. His head was inclined slightly in the direction of the building- a good fifteen metres away. He would've parked closer to the entrance, but Andrew had reminded him that there could be any amount of surveillance wired around the building- inside and out. If someone was watching, the last thing they'd want to see was Derek's red Eclipse sitting directly in front of the building.

"So this is the place, huh?" Derek questioned, squinting at the sign that was posted in the front, second story window- in huge black letters.

Sam leaned forwards, his hands gripping Derek's headrest as he narrowed his eyes at the printed lettering. "Out of business," he read, shaking his head sarcastically. "You don't say, huh? The place looks dead."

The corners of Derek's mouth turned into a frown as he glanced up at the tall building, realizing that Sam was absolutely right. While the building looked new- well maintained, even, it wouldn't take a sign to figure out that the place hadn't been used in years. The building was a good twenty five metres high, and while the windows weren't boarded up, they were kept clear- giving an easy view to the inside of the building.

And inside, there was nothing but emptiness. Every wall was bare, every square foot of flooring untouched. When Reynolds had closed down the place, he'd left nothing but air for any possible intruders to take.

This was the case right up until the last couple of stories. If Derek looked far enough, he could see that the top three floors were completely out of his view, due to the fact that someone had taken it upon themselves to board up the windows.

His eyes narrowed, and his hands tightened around the steering wheel as he frowned, suspicious. "Casey said they were high up," he recalled, barely thinking before he spoke. "Why would Evans board up the top three floors, and not the bottom or middle ones?"

"Could be hiding something," Terrence suggested smartly, smirking a little. "Nothing you can't get past though, right?"

Derek was slightly taken aback by Terrence's sudden confidence in him, but he tried to dismiss the matter as he gave a confident sort of nod, determined.

He forced a half grin. "Right," he confirmed, hoping that this was the honest truth. "Drew, do you see anything suspicious?"

Andrew, keen as he was, had been scanning the building conspiciously since the moment they'd pulled to a stop. He was overlooking over every last corner and window, every brick and doorway, trying to find something the least bit out of the ordinary.

"Other than the fact that Evans parked his Mustang in the employee parking section of a closed down business, I can't see anything," Andrew said, nodding towards the black 2007 model sitting in front of the building, parked in a reserved spot. The building's actual parking lot was almost entirely empty, minus a few stray cars that had been unable to find alternate parking.

"There's a light on in the front porch," Terrence noted, leaning forwards, his head coming to a stop between Derek and Andrew's seats. "That means someone started paying for electricity again, which means _someone_ has to be in there at some point."

Derek remained silent, his eyes fixated on the boarded up windows a good twenty metres above his head. While he knew that he coul not just barge in there, there was nothing he wanted more than to break into that building, and run immediately to that floor, where he knew his entire life was currently being held captive.

"Derek?" Sam questioned, punching his best friend lightly in the shoulder to try and get his attention. "Yo, D? You okay?"

Derek's knuckles were white against the steering wheel now, and it was taking concious effort not to get out of his seat and go right to that front door, right now.

"Casey's up there," he said quietly, a certain note of longing hidden in his voice. "Rebecca, too. My girls are in there."

Andrew, having dealt with Derek's protective side many times before, immediately shook his head, tilting his body slightly towards his friend.

"Derek, I know what you're thinking, but you need to play it cool," he said, a trace of caution to his voice. "You said it yourself, man. It's much too risky."

"My girls are up there," he repeated, as though he hadn't heard a word Andrew had said. His eyes narrowed against the pale boards behind the glass, and he shook his head, frowning. "They're so close. I could just go in there, and-"

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, and while Derek didn't turn to see who it belonged to, Terrence's voice spoke up suddenly, harsh and demanding.

"No," he said, determined. "You can't bust them out, Derek. We've worked too hard to mess it all up now."

"They're right in front of me!" Derek seethed, unable to get past their idiocy. "How can I just _leave _them there, Terrence?"

"Because you love them," Andrew said quietly, from his spot in the passenger's seat.

Derek was silent, his head tilted slightly in Andrew's direction, and even Terrence fell silent to let Andrew take the lead.

When it was obvious he had the entire car's attention, Andrew shrugged a shoulder and continued with his lecture. "I know your head is a bit clouded right now, D, and I can understand why. Casey and Rebecca are right in front of you, and it must kill you to know that you can't help them just yet." A pause, before, "Hell, it kills me too, but deep down, I know you know that waiting this thing out is the right thing to do."

Derek glared at the steering wheel angrily, choosing not to answer. Who was Andrew to tell him how he felt deep down? Andrew knew nothing, and Derek didn't have to admit anything he didn't want to, even if both Andrew and Terrence were making very valid points, at the moment.

"I love Casey and Rebecca like my own family, Derek, you know that," Andrew said quietly, not a hint of dishonesty to his voice.

Derek bowed his head, staring intently at his lap to hide the emotion in his eyes. He _did _know that. Andrew's love for Casey and Rebecca was much too real to ever deny- much too powerful to ignore.

"Yeah, I get that," he admitted, knowing that there was no sense fighting it. "You're not the one who failed them, though."

"And neither are you," Terrence put in, shaking his head. "Derek, you're doing everything you can to get your girls back; they know that. And right now, so long as we don't make any stupid moves, my brother's going to keep them around. I'm not saying they're not getting pushed around a little, because I can almost promise you that they are."

Ignoring the cringe that flickered across Derek's face, he rushed to finish. "I can promise you that Jake won't do away with them if we play this thing safe; if we give him no reason to believe anything's wrong."

The corners of his mouth quirked slightly, and he gave a sad sort of chuckle, his chest rising and falling gently with subtle laughter.

"You mean if I shut up and stay out of the way," he corrected, trying not to sound too bitter. "It's fine, I get it. Can we just get this over with?"

Andrew unbuckled his seatbelt, nodding. "Terrence and Sam, you guys wait here. Watch the front door for anything suspicious. Me and Derek will go check out the place- look for any other entrances, you know?"

Derek unbuckled his own seatbelt, grabbing his cellphone off the dashboard. Raising a brow at Andrew, he nodded towards the device. "Phone's turned down?"

"Vibrate," Andrew corrected, nodding. "That way if anything happens, Terrence or Sam will be able to reach us."

"Good point." Derek adjusted the volume to his phone, frowning. "Hoods up?"

Andrew nodded once, pulling the white hood of his black and white jacket up over his head. "Hoods up," he confirmed. "If they've got camera set up, we don't want them to be able to see much of our faces."

"Right," Derek said, before turning around to face Terrence. "You've got my number on your cell?"

"Speed dial," Terrence responded, and Derek hesitated for only a moment, before deciding to ignore the million and one jabs just begging to be delivered.

Andrew tugged at his door handle, pushing the door open easily. "We'll be back soon," he informed them, and Derek gave a quick grunt of approval, before clambering out of the car on his side. He stowed his keys in his jacket pocket, before joining Andrew on the other side of the car, glancing up at the tall brick building in front of them.

"Start around back?" he suggested, and Andrew gave a quick nod, before starting off in that general direction. Derek followed suite, falling easily into place beside his friend. He was glad that the temperature was fairly cool today, for their hoods did not look at all out of place on the bustling Toronto sidewalks.

"You got a gun?" Derek questioned suddenly, his eyes flickering to the parked Mustang, a sure sign that Jacob was inside the building. "You know, in case something goes wrong..."

Andrew patted his front pocket proudly, a small smirk on his face. "Golden rule of crime," he started, and Derek rolled his eyes at the 'words of wisdom' that he was sure to endure. "Never come to the job unprepared. You never know when you're going to need your gun."

"Or a quarter," Derek beamed, halting at a gumball machine standing outside the door of a cornerstore. "Dude, fix me with some silver, would you?"

Andrew rolled his eyes, but reached into his pocket, and slapped a quarter into Derek's palm. Derek inserted the change into the slot, before popping a pink gumball into his mouth.

He turned to Andrew, grinning as he pointed towards his mouth. "It's bubble gum flavoured," he joked, and Andrew raised a brow sarcastically.

"Imagine that," he said, before closing his hand around Derek's elbow, and dragging him towards the general direction of the building in question. "Come on. We can't waste time on bubble gum, alright? Sam and Terrence are in the car waiting for us."

"And heaven forbid we keep poor Terrence waiting," he remarked, no hint of a smile left on his face as he pulled his arm from Andrew's grip. Andrew glanced at him skeptically, but Derek continued, a deep scowl set into his features. "I mean, it's not like the guy doesn't _owe_ me anything. He only put me through hell and back, with a little help from his psychotic family."

"Come on, Derek," Andrew said, as they turned a corner onto the parking lot of the building. "Terrence seems like he's changed. I mean, I know he's done alot of horrible things in the past, but he's really trying to help us out here. And with things as tense as they are, I'm thinking we need all of the help we can get."

He stopped in his tracks then, glancing up and down the side of the building in detail, searching for any sign of surveillance material. "Besides," he started, as he took a couple of slow steps forwards, running his hand carefully along the brick wall beside him. "You two seem like you've been getting along half decently, lately."

Derek shrugged, slightly embarassed by this. "So just because I act civil with the guy, you assume he's my new best friend, or something?"

Andrew's lips curled into a frown. "I never said that, D," he assured him. "I'm just saying... I think the only reason you hate Terrence is because you _try_ to hate him. When you slip up and let yourself forget what the guy's done in the past, you two actually get along pretty well."

Derek followed reluctantly behind Andrew, unmoved. He kept a grim sort of look on his face, determined to stand his ground.

"I'm doing what I think will help to get my girls back," he said truthfully, shrugging. "I'm not in this business to make friends, alright, Drew?"

Andrew looked for a moment as though he might drop it, but it was apparant that he had something to say that was much too important to drop so easily.

"Consider for a moment that me and you are only friends _because _of this business," he threw in, and Derek had to clamp his mouth shut at that, for Andrew _did_ have a point.

"So one good friendship came out of it," he said, trying to pass this off as no big deal. "So what? That doesn't mean I've gotta act all buddy-buddy with a psycho."

Andrew considered arguing for a moment, but moments later, he had clamped his mouth shut, and fallen silent. He turned round-about again, still running his hand along the rough, dark brick as he glanced up and down the wall, searching closely for any cameras.

"I think the outside of this place is monitored really loosely," he finally let out, as they came to a stop at the end of the siding. "I saw two cameras out front, but there doesn't seem to be much surveillance around the siding."

He glanced around the corner of the building, smirking a little when his eyes fell on an iron staircase, leading to what they supposed was a back entrance.

"Looks like we've found ourselves a good way in," he said, nodding towards the door. "I don't see any cameras set up around there, either. I think our safest bet would be to get in through this door."

"And what if they've got it locked?"

Andrew shot Derek a doubtful look, raising a brow skeptically. "You honestly think I can't pick a lock, after more than ten years as an investigator?"

He had a point, Derek had to admit, so he closed his mouth, shrugging the matter off.

Before he had a chance to say anything, his phone vibrated in his pocket, and he snatched it up quickly, anxious for another call from Casey.

He was disappointed when he saw that it was nothing more than a text message, and from an unknown number, at that.

Flipping open his phone, he frowned, squinting at the text message with confusion.

"_It's Dylan. Took my cell back when they were sleeping; not sure 4 how long. 43 Forrester Drive." _

Derek nearly choked over his own breath at the message, and he grabbed Andrew's elbow quickly, hauling him hastily to his side.

"Look at this," he said, jabbing a finger at the screen of his cellphone. "It's Dylan- he took his phone back and texted me the address." Glancing up at the brick building next to him, he grinned. "Looks like we're at the right place, huh?"

Taking the phone from Derek's hand, Andrew squinted at the message, as though scrutinizing it as carefully as possible. Derek's brow creased as he watched his friend, but he chose to say nothing as Andrew looked back up at him, half doubtful.

"It could be a trick," he suggested, and before Derek had a chance to throw his two cents in, Andrew was texting away, his fingers flying a mile a minute against the keypad of Derek's cell.

Frowning, Derek tossed his head, throwing his hair away from his eyes carelessly. "Alright, I'll bite," he teased, trying to smile, but failing. "What are you doing?"

Hitting the send button, Andrew looked up, not bothering to give the phone back to its rightful owner just yet. "I'm asking a safety question," he replied. "The last thing we want is Jacob sending us some bogus text message to lure us here, right?"

Wanting to slap himself for being so easily fooled, Derek gave a numb sort of nod, agreeing. "Right," he said lamely. "What did you ask him?" he finished, more to evade his own guilt than anything else.

Leaning back against the brick wall for a moment, Andrew responded. "I asked him what his mother used to call him, back when he was a kid," he said, before cracking a tiny smile, amused. "If it really is Dylan, kid's gonna be embarassed to the maximum when he answers."

"Why?" Derek questioned hesitantly. "What nickname could be so bad, that-"

The phone vibrated in Andrew's hand then, and after looking down at the message briefly, he smirked, and held the phone up for Derek to read. "Dillie Boo-Boo," he read out loud, and when he looked up to see that this was a completely serious answer, he snorted laughter, shaking his head.

"You're kidding me," he said, grinning a little. "What sort of self-respecting parent would give their child such a horrible nickname?"

His fingers flying across the keypad again, Andrew gave a lopsided shrug. "My mother called me Pookie until I was fifteen," he admitted, and when Derek said nothing, he looked up, frowning. "What?" he questioned, hitting the end button on Derek's phone again, and flipping it shut. "She thought it was cute."

"Which confirms my belief that all mothers are determined to humilate their children," Derek concluded, as Andrew glanced around the back of the building, scoping out the back entrance to the building.

With a tiny grin, he shook his head, chuckling. "I don't suggest you let Case hear you say that."

Shrugging, Derek flipped open his cellphone again, hitting the reply button so that he could type out a message to Dylan. "Casey knows my sense of humour is completely innocent," he threw in, before pausing, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. "Most of the time, anyway. She still loves me, anyway."

"Lucky for you," Andrew muttered, and whether or not he was kidding, Derek didn't know. As he sent a message to Dylan- asking whether or not they were all okay, Andrew turned back to him, shaking his head.

"We're gonna have to monitor this place carefully," he said, sounding slightly concerned. "It was alot easier last time, when all we had to worry about was a single house." Glancing up at the tall building, he gave a heavy sigh. "An entire warehouse is a different story. It's gonna be harder to get in here unnoticed."

"How long?" Derek asked, eager. The phone vibrated against his palm, but he ignored it as he waited for a response.

Looking reluctant, Andrew took a step past Derek, giving a shrug of the shoulders to indicate that he did not know. "It could take anywhere from a few days, to a week or more," he offered, and when Derek opened his mouth to reply, Andrew turned back to him, raising a finger to indicate for him to be quiet for now. "Before you freak on me, just know that it's for their own good," he said, and a large part of Derek knew that he was entirely right; this was for the good of Casey, Rebecca, and Dylan.

But nonetheless...

"I just want them back, Drew," he admitted, sighing as he slumped down against the brick wall of the building, the wind blowing his hair stray across his forehead.

Andrew hesitated, before sinking to the pavement next to his best friend, staring straight ahead. He chose to say nothing, something that Derek took as his own cue to continue.

"I mean, I haven't spent more than a day away from Casey since the last time this happened," he said, cringing. "And Rebecca, she's only been away from me once or twice in her entire life. Do you have any idea how horrible I feel?"

Andrew turned his head a fraction to the right, towards Derek, and for the briefest of moments, Derek thought that he had done something to anger Andrew. The look in his eyes suggested that he wanted nothing more than to freak out at Derek, to yell at him over what he had just said.

But before he could utter a single word, he saw a hand fly past his vision, and he did not get a chance to process what was happening before he was pinned flat to the brick wall, his shirt bunched within someone's fist. His head had connected hard with the wall behind him, and he felt his head throb as he squinted, trying hard to focus his blurry vision on the man before him.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that I _don't_ like being played with, Venturi."

Andrew was on his feet faster than lightning, but he had just managed to place his hand against Derek's elbow when another man grabbed ahold of him by the upper arms, and slammed him against the wall next to Derek. Derek recognized the man vaguely as the real Matthew Wilson- the one he had never got the chance to meet, but his gaze turned quickly back to the first man, not wanting to let his gaurd down.

Both unprepared and on the lower hand of things, Derek and Andrew fell silent, focusing their attention on the two men that had gotten the better of them.

Derek recognized the man holding onto him instantly as Jacob Wilson, the man he had met in the cafe one day, the one he had mistaken for Matthew Leary. He was wearing a long sleeve grey and blue shirt, with dark blue jeans to match. His dark brown hair fell across his forehead lazily, and the smirk on his lips was cruel- almost as though fueled by pure and utter anger and hatred.

"Word of advice, Venturi," he seethed, through gritted teeth. "Don't mess with a Wilson. You're bound to get your sorry butt kicked for it."

Finding his voice, Derek smirked, a taunting sort of victory in his eyes. "Really?" he challenged, smug. "Because the last time I checked, I'd landed... what was it... _two_ of your family members in jail?"

Jacob's grip tightened around the collar of Derek's shirt, and his eyes flashed red. For a brief moment, Derek thought Jacob might hit him, but nothing but words came as he shook his head, voice rough and uneven.

"You don't want to go there," he said, glaring. "I've got your girls, not to mention your neck right beneath my grasp. Are you sure you want to get saucy with me?"

While Derek really didn't care what sort of physical harm Jacob could bring to him, he knew that it would be a mistake to anger the man who had control over his girlfriend, and his only daughter.

With this in mind, he fell silent, and Jacob smirked with his victory. "That's what I thought," he offered, amused. "You're just as weak as that stupid little girlfriend of yours." Derek's hand tightened around the cellphone he held in his hand, and it was taking everything he had not to haul off and smack Jacob right across the face- if he had any access to his fists, that is.

Leaning in closer, Jacob let out a chilling sort of laugh, grinning. "But let me tell you, she can put up a good fight."

That was all he could handle. Before anyone knew what was happening, Derek had thrown Jacob up off of him, and they were both on the ground, Derek sitting on top of Jacob as his fists connected again and again with whatever bit of Jacob he could gain access to. He felt his fists pound against Jacob's chest, his neck, his jaw, his cheeks... and while he understood Jacob was someone he didn't want to piss off, he could not find the willpower to stop himself. In the back of his mind, all he could picture was Jacob and Matthew hurting Casey and Rebecca, making them cry, and it made him _burn_. He wanted nothing more than to see this guy suffer considerably for all that he'd done.

"Derek," Andrew choked out, as Matthew released him to try and haul Derek up off of Jacob. "Derek, get off of him- you're making things worse."

Derek paid him no attention, and beneath him, he saw red on his hands- a sure sign that he had done some serious damage to Jacob's face.

"I'll kill you!" he was yelling, one hand closing around Jacob's neck tightly, his knuckles white under the stress. "Do you hear me, you bastard? I'll _kill_ you!"

"_Derek_!"

"Get off of him, you psycho," Matthew urged, his hands tightening around Derek's shoulders in a failed attempt to pull him away. "Come on, freakshow. Let _go!_"

"Let them _go_," Derek was yelling, and he was slightly taken aback when his grip slipped, and Jacob gained access to one of his hands. He took the opportunity immediately, and Derek felt pain shoot through his jaw as Jacob's fist connected swiftly with the side of his face. His vision blurred, and he paused for only a moment to recollect himself. He could feel his cheek throbbing painfully at the contact, but Jacob's swing only further fueled his fire, and he hauled his fist back as far as he could, before decking Jacob square in the mouth.

The guy let out a cry of what could only be agony as Andrew gripped Derek's elbow, joining Matthew's attempts in getting his friend up off of Jacob, before they ended up in way too deep.

"Derek, you don't want to do things this way," he urged, obvious panic and dread in his voice. "Come on, man, before the cops show up!"

"Shut up, Andrew."

"You're a psycho, Venturi!"

Derek still hadn't ceased his assault on Jacob's face, but something happened then that completely altered his attention. Before anyone could process the fact that anyone else had showed up, a gunshot went off, and Derek fell backwards off of Jacob, landing flat on his back against the cold, hard pavement. He felt his head smack against the pavement, and as he shut his eyes in pain, he mentally ran over every body part in his head, trying to consciously move every limb he possessed. After having already been shot once, he knew that the pain would be far, far greater than this, but it was better safe than sorry.

Jacob lay there, panting and bleeding, and Andrew dropped to his knees next to Derek, gripping his best friend's wrist tightly within his grasp.

"Derek, come on," he demanded, his voice fearful now. "The cops are bound to show up at any second."

Derek opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see Andrew hovering above him with the gun in hand, but he was surprised when he saw Terrence standing at his feet, gun in one hand, and the other hand extended towards his fallen comrad.

Derek shot him a look of confusion, not understanding, but Terrence nodded towards his hand, looking jumpy.

"Come on, before Jake comes around."

Derek turned his head to see that Jacob was indeed stirring- a sure sign that he would come around sometime soon, and he didn't have to think twice about grasping his hand within Terrence's, and pulling himself up onto both feet.

He brushed the gravel off of his pants, before sparing a glance at Matthew, who was standing flat against the wall, too shell-shocked by the gun in Terrence's hand to make a move.

Terrence, sensing Matthew's fear, took full advantage of the situation, and pointed the gun at Matthew, his eyes locked steadily against his the entire time.

"Don't make a move, Leary," he threatened, his voice low as the three of them backed up towards the roadway, knowing that a quick escape was necessary. Someone would've heard the gunshot, and there was an even greater chance that someone would have already reported it.

Matthew remained speechless, his cheeks pale with nausea as he gave a brief nod of the head, indicating that he would stay quiet. He watched until the three men had reached the corner of the building, and with a quick nod from Terrence, the three of them ran as fast as they could towards Derek's car, eager to escape the scene of the crime as quickly as possible.

- - - -

"Stupid."

Derek bowed his head, eyes fixed blankly on the floor in front of him.

"Nearly ten years as a private investigator, and I've never seen such a _stupid_, idiotic move like that one, Derek. Honestly, what could you have been _thinking_?"

"I dunno," Derek muttered, lifting his shoulder into a shrug. "I freaked, okay? Just drop it."

Andrew laughed heartily, clearly amused. "Freaked?" he cried, snorting with disbelief. "Sorry, dude; I think that's a bit of an understatement. You went totally and completely _psycho_ on Jacob's ass. And while I'm not completely against that, I don't think you understand how much you could've screwed things over."

A pause, then- "You're lucky the police showed up _after_ we'd all gotten out of there. If they'd caught _any_ of us around there..."

"I know, alright?"

"No, I don't think you do," Andrew urged, shaking his head. He leaned against the side of the couch, staring down at Derek, who was sitting in an armchair nearby. "Derek, I know how much it kills you that Casey isn't around, and I know it's gotta be hard to control your temper around someone who has hurt her, but-"

"You don't know how badly I wanted to go in there," Derek cut him off, his eyes narrowed darkly against the floor. Andrew remained silent, and he continued. "When I had Jacob down to the ground, I wanted to just beat it in there and grab Dylan and the girls. If I hadn't of known that Marcus Evans would probably be in there somewhere..."

"You were smart to stop when you did," Andrew assured Derek, with a tiny nod of the head. "Of course, if Terrence hadn't of fired off that shot to distract you..."

"Yeah, thanks for that," Derek threw at Terrence, who had been standing silently in the corner the entire time. Terrence lifted his head in acknowledgement to his name, and Derek grimaced at him, forcing out his best facade of thankfulness.

"You totally saved our butts back there," he said, and he hated that his words were genuine, and that he really did know that Terrence had done a noble thing. "I felt my phone vibrating, but I sort of thought it was Dylan texting me back. I guess they got ahold of his cell again, or something."

"It's no problem," Terrence said, sighing heavily as he rubbed his temple gingerly with his thumb. "Look, now that we've got Jake all worked up, we're gonna have to act quick. Now that he knows we're onto his location, he's going to move quickly. If we're gonna rescue them..."

"-we have to do it quick," Andrew finished, and as the three men looked around at each other, they all fully acknowledged what a long and difficult task lay ahead of them.

* * *

**Next chapter will involve a bit more action, and a little bit of a major decision for Derek is coming up.**

**Again, sorry for the late update. Exams are this week so I've been super busy, but they are almost done ! Reviews, please? **


	27. Hollow Victory

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hollow Victory**

While Derek had not been all that aware of the fact that Jacob had been fighting back, he definitely felt the effects of it the following morning, once he woke up. His right cheek was swollen and slightly purple, and the corner of his mouth had been cut at some point. He could vaguely remember being hit in the side of the head, but he had thought that Jacob had only gotten a single swing in at him.

Shrugging it off, he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, where he could smell the delicious scent of breakfast wafting in the air.

"Chef Andrew strikes again, huh? Don't tell Case, but I honestly think you're a better cook than she is."

Rounding the corner into the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks, mouth still half open as he caught sight of Terrence standing over the stove. He was looking up at Derek with a guilty sort of look, a sheepish grin on his lips as he poked at the scrambled eggs with a fork.

"Sorry, D," he apologized, straightening up a little bit. "Andrew went out for a bit. Said he was going to take a second look at that building on Forrester." Derek took a step into the kitchen, watching Terrence warily. "He said I could go ahead and make something. He... uh, he said you wouldn't mind."

Derek stopped in front of the stove, studying the frying pan suspiciously. Bacon and eggs were sizzling away in the pan, and judging by the third scent that met his nostrils, he assumed that there was toast in the toaster.

Grabbing a plate off of the second shelf of the cupboard next to the stove, he shrugged, holding the dish out to his former enemy.

"So long as I get a good portion of this here breakfast, I don't mind," he decided, willing to let Terrence's confidence slide. "You've never seen me with a spatula. The last time I made eggs for poor Andrew, he thought it was cream of broccoli soup."

Terrence wrinkled his nose with disgust as he scooped up a helping of eggs, distributing them evenly between his and Derek's plates.

"Sounds tempting, but I think I'll cook my own food," he teased, and Derek only chuckled as Terrence fixed him with a couple of slices of bacon.

After they'd both spread their condiments on their toast, and poured up a glass of juice each, the two men took a seat at the kitchen table, making sure to sit at opposite ends.

Both men picked awkwardly at their food, suddenly unsure of what to say, or how to act. Normally, mealtime was graced with Andrew's presence, meaning that there was usually someone else to initiate conversation between them. But when it was just the two of them, former enemies, current comrades, neither of them had a clue how to react.

"Food's good," Derek said awkwardly, feeling stupid already.

Terrence lifted his head slightly in acknowledgement, giving a single nod of thanks. "Yeah, not bad," he agreed. "Bacon's a little burnt, though."

Derek did not respond, merely chewed slowly on a piece of his toast, and in the next beat, Terrence had dropped his fork to his plate, and looked up at Derek with a pained sort of expression.

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Derek paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, a wide-eyed sort of expression on his face as he bunched his eyebrows together at Terrence.

"It's no big deal, you know. I like my bacon crispy," he said, and as he took a tiny bite of it, he cringed, shaking his head. "I prefer it to be chewable, but whatever."

Terrence rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm not talking about the bacon, you idiot," he threw in, and when Derek raised an eyebrow, he blushed, hurrying on. "I'm talking about... you know, everything that went on... before?"

"Before?" Derek questioned, and when he caught sight of the look on Terrence's face- one that suggested remorse beyond belief, he understood.

Ducking his head slightly, he placed his fork down, frowning. "You mean... with Casey, and your brothers?"

Giving an off-handed shrug, Terrence nodded his head. "Yeah, that stuff," he confirmed. "I mean... everything is weird between me and you now, and I can't help but feel like it's because of what I did to Casey, seven years ago." When Derek's mouth tightened into a firm line, he rushed on. "I mean, I know I dated her, and that that's already one strike against me, and even more so, I know I screwed up big time, with her."

"You think?" Derek snorted, taking a small bite of his toast. "I had to take her to therapy for a year and a half after your brothers were done with her. I don't think she's ever trusted anyone as easily again."

Terrence cringed with guilt, and Derek shook his head with disgust, digging his fork aggressively into a piece of scrambled egg.

"You can't even begin to imagine what you did to her," he scolded, unable to stop himself. "You weren't the one who held her when she woke up from one of her nightmares, crying. Or the one who held her hand when she had to go into detail about everything you guys did to her, in therapy."

He cringed at the mere memory of it, his grip around the fork tightening dangerously as he tried to control his temper. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to break off and hit Terrence, just to release _some_ of his anger on one of the men who had so cruelly hurt Casey.

But he knew that he needed to be grateful for the help he had right now, and whether he liked it or not, Terrence had been a huge help to him lately, he had to admit. And hitting him for something that happened seven years ago, it just wasn't logical. It made no real sense, and he understood that.

Sighing, he dropped his fork to the plate with a clatter, threading his fingers through his messy brown hair as he propped his elbow against the table, holding his head up.

"Just forget it," he muttered, and the reluctance in his voice must have shone through brilliantly, because Terrence seemed to understand that this was something Derek did not really want to forget, not at all.

His eyebrows raised, and he shook his head, determined. "I really am sorry, Derek. You can't imagine how horrible I feel about everything I helped my brothers get away with."

"It's in the past," Derek lied, shrugging carelessly. "I'm not going to sit here and argue with you over something that me and Casey have both moved past. It's not worth the frustration."

Terrence shook his head, and Derek inwardly groaned; what would it take to shut this guy up? "You know I care about Casey, Derek. And I feel like... I dunno, you need to know that I still cared about her, even when I did all of that. It never meant I didn't care."

"If you cared as much as I do, you wouldn't have been able to lay a finger on her," Derek reasoned, shaking his head darkly. "If you really, truly cared, you wouldn't have been able to bring a tear to her eyes, and not feel like crap about it."

"I did feel like crap, that's what I'm trying to tell you," Terrence said, and when Derek ignored him, he pounded his fist against the table, obviously frustrated. "Dammit, Derek! I'm trying to apologize here!"

"Tell it to someone who cares."

"Well you _should_ care."

Derek snorted, leaning back with his arms folded across his chest. "Where do you come up with that one?"

Leaning forwards towards Derek, Terrence raised an eyebrow, looking abruptly sure of himself. "I know you care about whether or not you've got me around, because you need all the help you can get right now," he said, and Derek hated that he was right, totally and completely. "Without me, you don't have a way into Jake's head. You don't have a clue how to work against him, not unless you've got someone that knows him inside out."

"That could go both ways," Derek said, not even aware of what he was saying anymore. "I mean, for all I know, you could be playing both sides of the field." Terrence's mouth hung open with surprise, and while Derek knew he was thinking irrationally now, his childish side forced him to continue. "I just find it funny how your brother and Matthew knew me and Drew were there yesterday. They might've had a good tip-off from somebody."

Terrence was staring at him with a dumbstruck expression, as though he could not believe the words that had just come out of Derek's mouth. In the back of his mind, Derek understood that he was overreacting here, and that Terrence would not do that to them, not now. Terrence had come to their rescue- he had pointed a gun at Matthew Leary's face, threatened him even. His loyalty was to Derek and Andrew now, not to his brothers.

And yet he felt like he needed to take his anger out on _somebody_, like just sitting around and staying calm was not nearly enough for him.

"I know I may have done some pretty horrible things in the past, but you need to get over this," Terrence was suddenly saying, his voice dangerously low with anger, and Derek knew then that Terrence had taken serious offense to his words. "Andrew has forgiven me for everything I've done, and however much it bugs you, so has Casey. And if your girlfriend doesn't have a problem with me anymore, I don't see why you should, either."

"You hurt her," he repeated, and even he was aware of how repetitive he sounded.

"And you sound like a broken record," Terrence spat out, and Derek was surprised to hear that he actually sounded ticked off. "Seriously man, get over it. I've had seven years to beat myself up over everything I did to Casey; I don't need you hounding on me too."

"Then why don't you just leave?"

There was silence, followed by a surprised and whispered- "Is that really what you want?"

"Yes," Derek answered too quickly, and when Terrence raised his eyebrow, he shifted uncomfortably, lifting his shoulders into a shrug. "Maybe, I dunno." He hesitated, then- "No, I guess not."

Terrence opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when the back door swung open, slamming hard against the kitchen counter. Derek's body immediately tensed, prepared for the worst, but he allowed himself to relax when he saw Andrew coming in through the doorway, a takeout bag in one hand, and a tray of drinks in the other.

"Lunch, on the go," he said, nodding towards the two of them. "Save the bacon for later, boys, we've gotta get a move on."

Pushing his chair back, Derek stumbled to his feet, already shrugging into the jacket that had been lying carelessly on the back of his chair.

"Where are we going?" he questioned, the old thrill rushing through him at the prospect of actually actively _doing_ something to help get his girls back.

"Jake and Matt just left the warehouse," he explained in a rush, rummaging through Derek's cupboards, and stuffing a few granola bars into his coat pocket. Pulling the fridge open, he rushed on. "They left Marcus in charge, but I've got a feeling that the guy is a bit of a brainless ditz."

"Oh look, Terrence, we've found you a friend," Derek remarked, earning him a dirty look from the affected man. "Hurry along now, go meet up with him."

"Can it, Derek," Andrew hurried, not even bothering to take note of the taken aback look on his best friend's face. "To make a long story short, Jake and Matt aren't there right now, and I'm pretty sure that if we all work together, we can get in there."

"And get them out of there?" Derek said, immediately forgetting about his jab towards Terrence. "You mean... we might actually be able to get them back today?"

Andrew gave a brief nod, a slight grin on his face. "It's a possibility, if we move quickly," he said, before pulling the back door open, and giving a jerk of the head towards the patio. "Let's go; get a move on. The car's already started."

And without a word, the three men were out the door, in the car, and speeding off towards what they hoped would be a successful victory.

- - - -

Andrew's deductions had proved to be correct. By the time they'd arrived in Toronto a little over an hour and a half later, Jake and Matt were still nowhere to be seen, their black car absent from the front of the building, where it usually sat.

A red car was parked in the parking lot of the building, but whether or not it belonged to anyone inside, they did not know. There was a vague possibility that it belonged to Marcus Evans, since Marcus did have his own family to drive around on a daily basis, but they knew that facing one man wasn't going to be a huge roadblock, today. There were three of them, and they were all armed. Derek had held serious reservations about arming Terrence Wilson with a gun, since Terrence _had_ been involved in a shooting in the past, but he knew deep down that Terrence wasn't going to pull anything stupid, and that all three of their men needed to be protected, Terrence included.

They had parked a good block and a half away this time, just for extra measure. The last thing they needed was for Jake and Matt to pull up in front of the building again, and recognize Andrew's red sports car in their peripheral vision.

So they'd walked the extra block and a half- half jogged it, really- and with a bit of experienced lock picking, they were in. Derek had half expected that an alarm would go off the moment they opened the back door, but for whatever reason, nothing of the sorts happened. They gained entrance without any real consequence, and now, the three of them stood huddled in the bottom of said staircase, the door locked behind them once more.

"My best guess is that they're holding them on one of the top floors," Andrew said in a hushed voice, glancing back and forth between each of his allies. "Casey said she was pretty sure they were high up, but since she said there were no windows in her room, I'm guessing they're holding them somewhere in the middle of the floor, away from any windows."

"Right," Derek agreed, nodding hurriedly. "There were a couple of boarded up windows higher up, remember? I'll bet you any money that they've got them stowed away on one of those floors."

Nodding, Andrew took charge. "Terrence, I want you to stand guard here, and give one of our cells a text if there's any sign of Jake or Matt." Terrence nodded, and Andrew quickly turned to Derek. "You and I will go on upstairs together. We'll keep our phones on vibrate, and we'll work as fast as we can to get to them."

And within moments, the plan had been launched into action. With Terrence on guard, Derek and Andrew began their venture up the far right stairwell, not wanting to chance taking the elevator. Their handguns were placed carefully within their jacket pockets, their cell phones silenced. They were careful to tread lightly, as not to be overheard, and when Derek spoke up moments later, it was in the most hushed tone imaginable.

"Do you really think this will work?" he whispered to his friend, glancing at Andrew out of the corner of his eye. "I mean, you don't think it's a trick, do you?"

Andrew shook his head, signalling that he didn't. "No, I don't think it could be a trick," he said confidently. "They're not smart enough to use their brains like that. Besides, they want to keep us out of this place at all costs. Luring us here wouldn't do them much good; it'd still be three on three."

Derek nodded, making his way up the stairs with Andrew at his side. They passed floor after floor of absolutely nothing- empty, broken down boxes lined the concrete flooring of most of the rooms they passed, while some had empty office desks, or a file cabinet that had been forgotten. Derek was sure to keep his eyes out for any sign of the girls, but he had to admit that the building looked as though it had been vacant for years.

By the time they reached the eleventh floor, he was quickly beginning to lose hope of finding them at all. He was beginning to think that maybe Jake and Matt were gone because they'd moved the girls elsewhere, knowing that Andrew and Derek were onto them.

But Andrew seemed fairly confident in what they were doing, and Derek had never had any reason to doubt Andrew's expertise before, so he continued up the many staircases, just praying that the next floor would hold the key to his happiness- his girls.

After about ten minutes, just when Derek was beginning to lose all hope, he heard a quiet whispering coming from somewhere above their heads, slightly to the right. He froze on the third step from the top, holding a hand out to stop Andrew next to him.

"Derek, what are-" Andrew started, but was cut off when Derek pressed a finger to his own lips, signalling for Andrew to be silent. He listened harder this time, and when he strained his ears, he could hear the sound of a young child speaking- what was more, a _feminine_ child. The tiny voice sounded scared, but strong, and he closed his hand tightly around the railing, his eyes narrowing towards the door at the top of the staircase.

"That's my girl," he murmured, his heart throbbing against his chest. "That's Becca. I'd know that voice anywhere."

Andrew held out a hand, signalling for Derek to wait a moment, but it was of no use. Before he could stop him, Derek had shot up the remaining three stairs, and had turned at his first right, flying through the door.

"Becca?" he choked out, practically falling face first into the floor as he struggled to come to a stop. He caught himself on the edge of a nearby table, his breathing shallow, but his eyes brightened when he saw a weak but excited looking Rebecca staring up at him, her smile a mile wide.

"Daddy!"

"Derek?"

Derek whirled to his left, and he could have sworn with everything in him that his heart stopped beating the moment he laid eyes on his the love of his life, his girlfriend, Casey. She was sitting in the far right corner, a blanket draped over her knees, her eyes holding every last sign of shock and disbelief.

She pushed herself forwards, moving to push herself up off of the ground.

"How did you find us?" she began to ask, but she was cut off when Derek fell forwards towards her, dropping to his knees to pull her to his chest tightly. She did not protest as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and she hugged him back eagerly, not complaining about his tight hold around her waist.

"I can't believe you're really here," Derek murmured into her soft, brown hair, trying to fight back tears of relief and joy. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd find you at all. I just... I can't believe... wow."

He was too preoccupied to notice Andrew's delayed entrance into the room, but he did hear a delighted cry of "Uncle Andrew!" sound off from the other side of the room. Rebecca ran to the other man's arms, sensing that her parents were having a moment, but as much as he loved his daughter, Derek could not bring himself to let go of Casey. He tried to instruct his mind to gain focus, to work on getting them out of there as soon as possible, but his body would not allow his stiff arms to move from his girlfriend's waist.

"What's going on here?"

Derek managed to incline his head slightly to the left to see Dylan sauntering in from a doorway at the other side of the room, his t-shirt torn, and his black hoodie tied around his waist. His hair was messed up, and it was easy to see that he had been in more than one physical confrontation since their kidnapping. His lower lip was split and scabbed, and his right eye was lined with purple and black bruising, a sure sign of a few good blows to the eye. His neck was speckled with bruises too, and if Derek was not mistaken, Dylan was holding his left wrist at an odd sort of angle, as though he could not bend it in the proper direction.

Common sense kicked in, and he managed to pull back enough to glance over Casey's physical state, wanting to make sure there were no visible, serious injuries. She had a few faded bruises lining her left cheekbone, and there was a fairly nasty looking cut just above her right eyebrow, but other than that, she looked okay. A little tired, maybe, but okay.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dylan asked suddenly, looking from Andrew to Derek, his eyes widened. "Are you mad? They'll kill us all if they find you here."

Andrew straightened up then, adjusting the little girl in his arms accordingly.

"Dylan's right, Derek," he appraised, nodding his head. "We've gotta get out of here _now_."

Derek, coming to his senses a little, nodded his head quickly, forcing himself to pull away from Casey. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and hold her there forever, to tell her how much he loved her, but he knew that there would be plenty of time for catching up later. Right now, he needed to worry about getting Casey and the children out of there. This was his job, and he wasn't about to let his emotions stand in the way of his girls getting home safely.

"Come on," he said quietly to Casey, grabbing a hold of each of her hands. "Let's get you out of here."

She nodded abruptly, allowing her boyfriend to pull her up off of the ground. She fell into place next to him, but before he could even take a step towards the door, it had fallen shut, and he found himself face to face with a man he had not met yet- Marcus Evans.

Marcus stared him right in the eye with a smirk, standing directly in front of the closed door. His cool, black eyes gazed right into Derek's, and he gave a cruel sort of laugh as Casey drew back, her hold on Derek's hand tightening considerably.

"Well well," Marcus sneered, looking amused. "Looks like we've got ourselves quite the little party going on, haven't we? I don't recall inviting guests along, today."

"Move out of the way, Marcus," Andrew said, adjusting his hold on the little girl in his arms, who had her face buried into her protector's shoulder. "You can't take on all of us; even you're not stupid enough to go for that one."

"Oh no?" Marcus challenged, raising an eyebrow. "It'd be all too easy to make Venturi bend to my every command. It's amazing what people will do once you've got a hold of someone they care about."

Derek's eyes narrowed and a low, feral growl escaped from the back of his throat as he took a step forwards, making sure Casey was safely behind him.

"You don't touch them," he sneered, an obvious threat. "You're despicable, you know that?"

Marcus chuckled gently, unmoved. "I try my hardest," he assured him, shrugging. He took a single step forwards, motioning towards Derek. "Pass the girl along to me, Venturi, before this gets ugly."

"Derek, just listen to him, okay?" Casey said, trying to let go of his hand to step forwards. He tightened his grip on her hand as though his life depended on it, shaking his head.

"I'm not just giving you up to him," he said, unable to believe she could say something so stupid.

Before he could say anything more, Casey had grabbed his shoulder beneath her palm, spinning him around to face her. He never lost a hold of her hand, but he fixed her with an incredulous look, shaking his head with confusion.

"Have you lost your mind?" he asked her, not bothering to keep quiet. "Since when have I ever given into anything that jeopardizes your safety?"

"Since your daughter is involved," Casey said, and as she nodded towards the little girl in Andrew's arms, he felt his heart drop with realization. Becca was curled against Andrew's chest, her face buried into his shoulder, and her own tiny shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. It was obvious that the five year old was absolutely terrified, a sight that Derek had never wanted to witness.

He winced, turning back to Casey with a torn look on his face.

"I can't let you go," he argued, though there was barely any fight left in his voice, for they both knew what had to be done.

Casey shook her head, a sad smile lingering on her lips. "I can take care of myself," she assured him, though she did not sound overly confident. "Becca doesn't need to see things get ugly with you and Marcus," she reminded him, shrugging. "She's been through enough as it is. The last thing she needs is to see her father get hurt."

Derek was torn, he could admit that. He could stand by and let Marcus take control over his girlfriend, or he could stand up for himself, and possibly chance his five year old daughter getting hurt- emotionally, and maybe physically. Neither choice was easy for him, nor did neither choice yield the results he would like to see. But he knew that he was working on a very thin timeframe, and that he would have to hurry up if he wanted to have any success at all. Jake and Matt would only be gone for so long, and once they came back, Derek and Andrew probably wouldn't stand much of an even chance. The Wilsons fought dirty, after all; they always had.

Sparing a glance towards the door for a moment, he saw that Andrew was creeping slowly towards the door behind Marcus' back, his face worked up into a cringe as he struggled not to be heard. It would be nearly impossible to get the door open without Marcus knowing, but Derek could see that Andrew was going to try and make a run for it while he had Rebecca in his arms. His eyes met with Derek's, and he fixed him with a pointed nod, telling him to distract Marcus.

He did not nod back, for it would've been a dead giveaway of what was going on, and he was quick to avert his eyes before Marcus turned to see what he was staring at. Rookie mistake number one for Marcus had been turning his back on an enemy to begin with. Derek had long ago learned that that wasn't the way to go about anything.

"Where are your little friends?" he asked, racking his brain for ways to keep Marcus distracted. "Off conducting more kidnappings, I suppose?"

"That's none of your business," Marcus snapped, shaking his head. He studied Derek curiously then, narrowing his eyes. "You're saucy; Venturi; Franz and Mark always said that about you." He paused, glaring. Did I mention that I don't like saucy?"

Derek pulled a mock frown, uncaring. "Wow, and here I was hoping to make your top ten," he replied cheekily. "It's okay. I promise I won't cry when I don't get a Christmas card from you in the mail this year."

"If you're still around by Christmas," Marcus threatened, raising an eyebrow. "Did I mention that we like to do away with saucy little do-gooders?"

"Me, a do-gooder?" Derek laughed, genuine surprise floating in his voice. "Please. I think you've definitely been checking into the wrong profile, bud. I mean maybe Casey is a bit of a do-gooder, but me? I'm the complete opposite, my friend. I'm the pure definition of rebellion."

He was rambling now, and if Marcus had known his character at all, he would have suspected this. But Marcus knew practically nothing about the type of person Derek was, and because of that, he merely snorted, amused at what he assumed was cockiness.

"What could you possibly know about rebellion?" he challenged, taking a step towards him. "I could _school_ you on how to be a rebel, dude."

"Go ahead then," Derek threatened, licking his dry lips as Andrew reached quietly for the doorknob, his face screwed up purely out of nerves. He had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, and Derek waited, knowing that he would be faced with a sign at any given second.

He slipped both hands into his jacket pockets, one hand closing around the gun he found resting there. He gripped his finger loosely over the trigger, nodding once at Marcus.

"Come on, school me," he challenged again, mocking. "Tell me a little something about being a rebel."

Marcus shook his head, perplexed by Derek's school-yard teasing and antics, but in the next beat, Andrew had yanked the door open, not bothering to be discrete about it.

The door flew back to hit the wall with a startling crash, and Marcus whirled around instantly, his senses telling him to act on alert. When his eyes fell on the retreating figure of Andrew, he made a start forwards, glaring.

"Hey, get back here!" he called out, but Derek was quick to whip his gun from his pocket, raising it at eye level with Marcus, before him.

"Not another step," he threatened coolly, his eyes narrowed again Marcus's turned back. "I kept my cool when Rebecca was in the room, but don't think I won't pull this trigger now that she's gone. I have no problem with shooting this gun so long as my daughter isn't around to see it."

Marcus turned, wide-eyed, his body frozen with fear, and Derek felt Casey shift behind him, her chest pressed to his back as she clasped his free hand within her own. Her palms were sweaty, and he could tell that she was nervous about what was about to happen. Andrew and Becca were probably halfway down the stairs by now- they were nearly in the clear- but to get the three of them out safely, now... well, that was another story.

Dylan was looking back and forth between Marcus and Derek now, his hands fiddling impatiently at his sides. He looked equally as nervous as Derek felt, but Derek was much better at masking it. He managed to keep his cool, trying to tell himself that this was just another case, just another confrontation, despite his personal affliction.

"Take a step away from the door, and let us go," Derek threatened, his eyes locked against the man in front of him, his finger steady on the trigger. "We get what we want, you don't get killed; it's a win-win situation."

Marcus shook his head, a certain note of defiance to his voice as he spoke up again.

"It's not going to end here," he tried to tell Derek, half an edge of genuine warning to his voice. "Jake, he'll stop at nothing; you need to understand that. My letting you go isn't going to do you any good in the long run; believe me."

Derek rather thought that there was way too much sympathy in the man's voice now- almost as though he truly wanted to warn Derek against what he was about to do.

But if there was one thing that Derek had learned in his years as an investigator, it was not to let anything the bad guys said, get to you. People could be cruel and manipulating sometimes, and Derek had always refused to let himself cave into anything that someone he didn't trust told him.

"Just back off, and the bullet stays in the gun," he threatened, taking a cautious step forwards, Casey following behind him, their hands still joined tightly together.

Marcus bit his lip, contemplating his next move, but there was no fight left in him and that wasn't hard to see. He had no other option but to let the three of them through, no matter what consequences he would face from his boss afterwards.

So he nodded solemnly, taking a step backwards until his back was to the wall. He watched Derek expectantly; no fight left in his eyes, and without turning his head, Derek spoke to Dylan, his voice filled with authority.

"You go on through first, Dylan," he instructed firmly. "Follow the staircase until you get to the back door. Terrence will be waiting for you there. He'll take you to the car."

Dylan hesitated, perhaps still too frozen with shock to properly react, but Derek spoke up a second time, an edge of urgency to his voice now.

"Go, and be quick about it."

Dylan nodded hurriedly, and without argument, he scurried out of the room without looking back. His footsteps could be heard retreating down the stairs at a fast pace, and Derek let go of Casey's hand, allowing himself to take a step away from her, towards Marcus.

"Casey, you follow after him," he instructed, making sure he didn't blink an eye, not even briefly. He could not let his guard down; not while Casey's life, and the life of their unborn child was still at risk.

"I'll meet you in a second," he assured her, and without a word, she nodded her head and disappeared from the room. He did not hear the sound of her footsteps start down the stairs, and he suspected that she was waiting just outside the door for him, unwilling to go on without him. Derek might've found it in him to get angry with her for this, but he knew that he'd do the same for her, if the situation were reversed.

With everyone else safely out of the room, Derek took three cautious steps towards the door, rotating his body accordingly so that the gun never lowered away from its aim towards Marcus. Marcus himself was still flattened against the wall, unable to move, but he did find it in him to shake his head at Derek, speaking up in a weak voice.

"I mean it; this isn't over," he said, though there was no hint of a threat in his voice. "Jake's not going to let this slide. You'd better be prepared to fight to the death for this."

Pausing in the doorway, Derek fixed Marcus with his most confident smirk, lifting one shoulder into a single shrug.

"No worries," he offered up smoothly. "Death is something I'd gladly face for my family."

Without further comment, he backed out of the room and out of Marcus's view. Casey, who had been leaning against the wall to the right of the doorway, instantly grabbed onto his hand, and with the gun still clutched tightly against his other palm, they began their descent down the lengthy flights of stairs. Derek's eyes never left the doorway until it was out of view, and even then, he listened carefully behind him for any sign of footsteps or of voices.

But they encountered no interruptions, and when he burst out of the back door with Casey safely in tow moments later, he saw that the Mustang was still absent from the parking lot.

He should feel happy, he knew. He had Casey, and he had Becca. Hell, he had even rescued Dylan. This should be his greatest accomplishment to date, right? Something of his proudest moment.

So then why did he feel as though the worst was yet to come? Surely, this was the end; surely, Marcus had just been trash talking.

He wished that he could believe that; but suddenly, he was not so sure.

* * *

** I could apologize a thousand times over for the lateness of this chapter, but it would do me no good. I haven't given up on this story; I assure you!**

**Despite this chapter, the worst IS yet to come, so stay tuned. Please tell me what you thought of this- I am not too sure on it yet! :) **

**Thanks guys, and sorry again!**


	28. Ultimate Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Ultimate Betrayal**

It took Derek a grand total of about thirty nine seconds to reach their car, which said alot considering that they had parked an entire block and a half away from the building in question. Somehow, Casey had managed to keep up with him quite nicely, but by the time they reached the car she was more than a little bit out of breath, and Derek could see from the corner of his eye that her face was beet red from the effort.

Dylan was leaning against the back bumper of the car, his arms folded across his chest, and Terrence had taken it upon himself to take a seat on the curb next to him, his head ducked down from the view of any passing cars. Each man looked completely nerve-wracked, and Derek couldn't say he blamed them. His own nerves were running pretty thin right now too.

It was only upon second glance that he noticed the absence of two of their men, so to speak; Becca, and Andrew. This struck him as odd, since the pair had left almost a full minute ahead of himself and Casey, but he tried to tell his panicking mind that there was a logical explanation behind their absence.

"Where's Drew?" he asked, trying to keep his voice hopeful, and stress-free. "Did he take a detour?"

Terrence's brow furrowed as his eyes met with Derek's, confused and taken aback. "We thought he was with you," he informed the worried parents, shaking his head. "Where's Rebecca?"

Casey took a step towards Derek, her hand falling easily into his, and she squeezed his palm gently as his muscles tensed, eyes darkening with worry.

"She's with Andrew," he said hastily, his voice already a notch or two ahead of its normal pace. "I figured they'd meet Terrence by the back door right away. Didn't they come to you?"

Dylan pushed himself away from Derek's car, his eyes tense with anxiety as he shook his head, clearly just as freaked out as he was.

"We didn't see them, Derek," he said, not an ounce of dishonesty tracing his voice. "We thought they were both with you, honestly. They never passed by us at all."

Silence enveloped the atmosphere, and Derek could hear the sounda of his own blood pounding against his ears. His hand was still tensed around Casey's, and he could feel that she was shaking now, no doubt fearful for her daughter's safety.

Terrence shifted uncomfortably at the look on Derek's face, scuffing his sneaker against the ground slightly. "Derek," he started hesitantly. "Derek, you don't think that... that Andrew could've..."

"No, Drew isn't like that," Derek argued, shaking his head. "He's my best friend. He wouldn't just take my daughter."

"Are you sure?" Terrence said warily, raising a brow at him. "People can turn their back on you pretty quickly sometimes."

"You'd know," Derek spat out agressively, barely able to concentrate. "Not everyone is like you, Terrence. Some people actually know the true meaning of loyalty and friendship."

"Now isn't the time for you two to be arguing."

Derek turned his head to see Casey fixing him with a pointed look, her eyes holding every hint of fear and maternal worry. Despite her newfound freedom, she was still scared out of her mind for their daughter, something that Derek could relate with. Rebecca was only five years old; if someone had intercepted Andrew along the way and had gotten a hold of her... the consequences could be devestating. And Andrew; he was like a brother to Derek. If something had happened to Drew, because of him... well, he didn't think he could bare it.

"Right," he dismissed, knowing that he had to push his anger aside for the greater good. "Everyone get in the car."

Pulling open the passenger's side door, Casey fixed him with a curious look over the top of the car, bewildered. "Where are we going?" she questioned. "Becca and Andrew are still missing, and our house is the first place Jake will think to look for us. There's no way we can go back there now."

"We're not going home," Derek said, sliding into the driver's seat, and pulling his door closed beside him. "You're right; that's the first place they'll check."

"So then where are we going?" Dylan piped up from the backseat.

Turning the key so that the engine roared to life, Derek narrowed his eyes against the pavement before them, pulling away from the curb.

"We're going home to get a few of our things. Jake and Matt don't even realize that anything has happened yet, so we've got time to sneak into the house and get a few supplies. But after that, I think it's best we keep a low profile in Toronto," he said, making his way back towards the highway. "Hope you boys don't have a problem with hotels; I think we'll be there awhile."

- - - -

After a brief stop at the Venturi household to stock up on clothes and necessities, the four were back on the highway again, speeding back towards the city of Toronto. Derek had been quick to gather up everything he thought they would need from the house, for he knew that it was only a matter of time before Jake and his crew came to look for them. And as much as Derek would miss home, he had no intentions on being anywhere near London when Jake was doing that check. He planned on being long gone, by that time.

At around five o'clock in the evening, Derek checked them into a hotel room. They registered under Casey's name, using her mothers' maiden name to avoid any chance of Jake tracking them down. They had booked two rooms; one for Derek and Casey to share, and another with two single beds, for Dylan and Terrence.

"We need to go out and find her," Casey was arguing with him, for what felt like the twentieth time in the past hour. "She's five years old, Derek. She can't fight them off like we could."

Derek remained unmoved, pushing past her gently to toss an empty suitcase beside a cabinet on the far right wall. "We're _going_ to go look for her," he assured her, his voice emotionless. "She's with Drew. Drew will protect her until then."

"And if she gets taken from Andrew?" Casey questioned, sparking Derek's only concern. "What then, huh? You can't possibly expect Rebecca to look after herself."

"Of course I don't expect her to look after herself," Derek stressed, already feeling annoyed with her. He felt guilty for getting so impatient with her, since he knew what it was like to live without her, but it bugged him that she actually thought he planned on leaving Rebecca to take care of herself.

"Look," he said, tossing a couple of t-shirts onto a nearby armchair, not really caring if they wrinkled. "If I know Drew, which I like to think I do, then I know he's probably got a trick or two up his sleeve. He could've... I dunno, saw the Wilsons coming, and took off in another direction. He could be in hiding with Becca, for all we know."

"So then why wouldn't he call?" Casey asked, and while Derek wished he had an answer for her question, he could not reply. He himself was stumped on several aspects of this scenario, Drew's silence being one of them.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't plan on just sitting here and taking this lightly, like you think I'm doing. Once I've got some definite security set up for you, I plan on going to find them."

He turned in time to see the slight flicker of annoyance pass over her formerly calm features, and he rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming.

"I know, I know," he chided, already knowing how he had offended her. "You don't like having to be _protected_ all the time. But for the sake of my sanity..."

She looked as though she wanted to argue, but she must have saw how badly he wanted- no, needed- her to comply with him just this once.

So she swallowed back her stupid pride and gave a brief nod of the head, sighing heavily. She would not have given in for anyone else, but she knew that they were up against dangerous men here, and she knew that Derek wanted to do what was best for their entire family- including her.

"Fine," she agreed, her voice strained. "Secure away. But I want it to be a well known fact that, in any normal circumstances, I could take care of myself brilliantly."

She flopped down into a nearby armchair, her arms folded across her chest, and he managed a tiny grin as he nodded, fighting back an amused eyeroll.

"Of course you could, babe," he said sarcastically, a hint of laughter hidden within his voice- too masked with fear and urgency for his missing daughter to even try and emerge. He tossed the last of his clothes onto the same armchair as before, before turning to his girlfriend, running his hand casually through his messy hair.

"I've got to make a few phone calls," he said, leaning back so that he was perched against the back of the nightstand. He blew out a deep breath, his hair ruffling gently around his eyes in the aftermath. There was so much for him to do, and yet he didn't have the faintest idea where to start. He had to make phone calls to his most trusted men to set up some severe security for Casey, since there was no way on earth he'd ever take her with him to potentially fight dangerous criminals. He had to track down his daughter and Andrew, and pray that nothing too serious had gone wrong. He had to call the police back, for they had been calling him for two days straight for a questioning on Casey's continued absence.

Suddenly, he was struck with a brilliant idea; one that was sure to get him out of this mess in no time.

"Case," he choked out, whirling around to face her with wide-eyed glee. "Case, you need to come back to London with me tomorrow."

Her brow furrowed, and she frowned. "London?" she questioned, uncertain. "Why would we go back to London, Derek? Matt and Jacob are bound to find us there. I'll bet you any money that they've got men just waiting by our door to attack. I've been around them for awhile now; I know how they operate."

Derek shook his head with excitement, pushing himself up off of the endtable, and coming to a frantic stop in front of her.

"We're not going to the house," he said, his hands shaking with excitement. "The cops... they... they think I..."

"Cops?" Casey stressed, her eyes widening slightly. "Derek, you went to the _cops_? Do you know how-"

"No no," he said, holding up a hand to silence her. "Of course I didn't call the cops. How stupid do I look?"

The question was hypothetical, and she knew better than to respond to him. Instead, she let him continue.

"Edwin called the school board to report you guys missing," he explained hurriedly, ignoring the shock that flitted across her features. "We had this huge fight, and he figured he was doing you guys a favour by reporting the disappearance."

"Well he was wrong!" Casey cried, obviously feeling the same was as Derek had about the situation. "Honestly, is Edwin on crack? How could he possibly think that going to the cops was going to do _anyone_ any good?"

Derek did not say anything in response, but on the inside, he felt relief sweep through him. While he had pretended that Edwin's accusations had not bothered him in the slightest, a very small part of his mind had wondered whether or not Casey would feel that he was doing the right thing. When Edwin had called the police, he had known that it was the wrong decision, but he had wondered whether or not Casey would share that belief, or if she would think that Edwin cared more than he did; a joke, if he ever heard one.

It gave him a clear conscious to know that Casey shared his views on this.

"Look, I don't know what Edwin was on when he went to the cops, but the problem is that now they're after me. They already took me in for questioning once, and they found blood all over the kitchen floor when they searched the house."

"So they think..."

"They think I'm the prime suspect here, yeah," Derek finished for her, barely able to fathom his own words. How could anyone possibly _believe _that he would hurt Casey or Rebecca?

"Anyway, all we've gotta do is go back to London for an hour or two tomorrow, and prove to the cops that you're okay; that you're still... _alive_ or whatever."

Her face paled, and he could see the meek fear playing on her face; worries that were mirrored perfectly in his own mind.

"_Alive_?" she choked out, not expecting this.

He gave a grim nod of the head, confirming that he was not exaggerating. "They saw the blood in the kitchen, Case; there was nothing I could do. I tried lying; I told them that you and Rebecca were away, but they didn't buy it. They showed up at the door, and I couldn't just... y'know, tell them they weren't allowed in. I hadn't had a chance to clean up the kitchen or anything; cleaning wasn't really my priority."

"Is it ever?"

Derek grimaced playfully at her sarcasm, but did not give the matter any real attention. "Anyway, I got taken in for questioning, and they've pretty much got me narrowed down as a key suspect. I wouldn't say a word, which sort of frustrated them even more. They let me go, but only because Andrew arranged for some big-shot cop named Cohen to bail me out. He's got Cohen working on the case, but things would loosen up a lot more if this Bradbury goon at the station could just see that I didn't kill you guys."

Casey took a couple of steps across the room, coming to a complete stop directly in front of her boyfriend. The sympathy in her eyes was clear, but it was dominated by unanswered questions, and understandable concern for the situation at hand.

"What about Rebecca?" she asked, raising a brow. "Aren't they going to expect both of us to come back?"

Derek gave a distracted sort of nod, cringing as he pushed himself up and away from the nightstand, unable to face her nagging questions. He was finally facing the first real glimmer of hope he'd had in weeks; and he wasn't about to let her bring him down now.

"I just want to get them off my back, even if it's only a little bit," he dismissed, narrowing his eyes as he rooted aimlessly through a pile of t-shirts on the armchair, as though actually looking for something. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but my life's been a bit stressful lately, Casey. Bringing you to London may not get the cops off my back altogether, but I can promise you that it'll be a start. Believe me, with all of the stress I've been under, it'll be earth-moving to have just one little stress off my shoulders."

This sparked Casey's anger, and it wasn't long before she was on her feet, standing directly behind him with her arms folded angrily across her chest.

"You want to talk to me about stress?" she asked, her voice dripping with every hint of disgust. "Try being held hostage in an abandoned warehouse, with a band of _murderers_, Derek."

He paled. Of course she would pull the competitive card on him; this was _Casey_ he was dealing with. Well if it was a stress face-off she wanted, she'd definitely get one.

"I've been locked in a musty, abandoned warehouse for days on end now; very little food, limited water, no proper bedding, and you think _you're _stressed?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but she did not grant him the opportunity. "How about we throw into the mix constant abuse, the threat of life or death being held over my head, not to mention being _pregnant_ during this whole mess."

That was enough to halt him right in his tracks. Whereas he had been in the process of turning away from her, he froze, and spun quickly to face her. His eyes were round circles of fear as he walked brisquely towards her, eyes filled with fear. Face-off be damned; he wasn't going to sit here and argue with her when the life of his unborn child was being questioned.

"Case, the baby," he stammered, his voice rising a notch or two. "Are you still... do you think..."

His hand moved to lay gently against her small belly, bur he pulled back immediately when Casey let out a tiny gasp of pain, jerking away as though his touch her scorched her. He stumbled backwards a step or two, not expecting this reaction, and she cringed slightly as she cowered against the wall, obviously mistrusting.

It took him a moment to register that _he_ had caused her that fear- that she had been afraid of him.

Swallowing back the lump that had taken form in the back of his throat at the sight of her fear, he took a cautious step towards her, shaking his head reassuringly.

"It's just me, babe," he whispered to her, his voice holding every promise of security. "I'm the last person on this earth who would hurt you."

She seemed to be in a trance for a moment, but in light of the concern and remorse evident in Derek's eyes, she forced a forgiving sort of nod, straightening up once more. He watched as she swallowed hard, forcing the tiniest of smiles onto her lips- one that could barely be counted as a smile at all.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," she said, though she sounded as though she were not so sure at all. "I'm just... I'm tender, that's all."

His brow furrowed, and he was afraid to voice his suspicions on what those words meant. "Tender?" he questioned, hoping for an alternative to the meanings his mind had summoned up. "You mean..."

She did not speak. Instead, she bent her head towards her feet, gripping the hem of her t-shirt gently within each of her hands. With Derek carefully monitoring her every movement, she lifted the hem of her shirt upwards a few inches, revealing the swollen and bruised skin beneath. Her sides and stomach were speckled with patches of black, blue and purple; each bruise a various size, shape, and severity. They traced upwards as far as his eyes could tell, and with a tiny nod of approval from Casey, he moved forwards, his fingers reaching out gently to brush against the battered skin.

She winced slightly at his touch, and he heard the sharp intake of breath that passed briefly through her lips. He murmured a quick "Sorry," buy did not remove his hand as he traced his fingers further up her upper body, rising her shirt a little further to see that it was just as he had suspected; the bruises ranged all over- never ending, never fading. He dropped his hand before he reached her chest- not wanting to make her feel even more uncomfortable. Her blue tank top fell back into place around her stomach, and she looked up at him with a weak sort of look, as though begging for reassurance that she would be okay; that _they_ would be okay.

And while he couldn't predict the future- while he could not tell her where they'd be in two weeks, or whether or not this would all work out for the best, he could tell her that right now, in that particular given moment of time, she was okay. He had her, and so long as she didn't concentrate on anything else but him- but the perfection that was _them_, as a couple- she would be okay.

And as if she were reading his mind, she had suddenly fallen into his arms, her hands pressed gently to his muscular chest. Slowly and uncertainly, his strong arms wrapped around her fragile, shaking frame. Had she been crying all along? He wasn't sure, but he knew that sobs were most definitely wracking her body right now. She was sobbing into his shirt without a care, and he didn't have the heart to deny her the comfort she so desperately needed. She was hurting- both physically and emotionally, and he knew that she was scared for them. Not just herself and Derek, of course, but for their family as a whole. She obviously held fear for her boyfriend and for herself, but when it came down to it, one of her main priorities was to protect Rebecca and their unborn child.

His deft hands worked smoothly across her shaking back, desperately seeking to calm her down, if only slightly. He whispered gentle words of reassurance against her ear- not too sure if he believed the words himself. Hell, half of it was probably nonsense, for he wasn't really thinking about what he was saying.

"Come on, Case. You know I'm horrible with tears."

Her sobs continued, and he could tell that she honestly didn't give a damn whether he hated tears or not; she was going to cry.

"They're not hurting you anymore." His reminder held a hint of hope, as though he thought that her tears may suddenly dry at his words. When she continued crying into his shirt, he cringed, trying a different approach. "Aww, come on, Case. You know I didn't mean to make you upset."

"You didn't make me upset," she corrected him, shaking her head. His lips curled into a frown, and she sniffed back a few tears, straightening up a little. "I'm just... I'm worried about Rebecca, that's all. God knows where she is right now."

He pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, his hands cupping her cheeks gingerly against his palms. Her gaze was locked against his, and he shook his head, trying his best to sound convincing. "We're going to find her," he said, praying that his words were true. "This is my job, babe; this is what I do for a living."

"You're not perfect," Casey sobbed, shaking her head.

Derek's head tilted at this, and he cocked a smirk at her. "Really?" he mused, trying his best to make her smile. "Dammit, and all these years I thought you married me for my perfection."

Through her tears, she managed choked laughter, though it was very obvious that her pain dominated her amusement.

Smacking his chest, she rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Derek," she demanded, before burying her face against his chest once more, her tears soaking through his already wet shirt. "I can't tell you how much I've missed you."

Sarcasm and laughter immediately set aside, Derek wrapped his arms around her fragile form, closing his eyes gratefully as he nodded in agreement, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I know," he agreed quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Believe me, I know. I've missed you too." Tightening his hold, he swallowed back his fear, knowing he had to be brutally honest with her. "As much as I'd like to lock the door and never leave this room again, I think we both know that we can't do that. I'd love for nothing more than to hole myself up in here with you, away from all the craziness out there, but..."

"Rebecca needs us," Casey finished for him quietly, her voice muffled against his shirt. He tensed, and she lifted her head to look him in the eye, her arms still wound around his waist. "I know. There's nothing more important than making sure that she's okay."

Before he could reply and tell her that she was absolutely right, and that he felt the same, his cell phone rang in his pocket. Unwrapping one arm from Casey's body, he retrieved the device from his jeans, brightening slightly when he saw Andrew's number flashing across the screen.

Feeling half hopeful, he flashed a grin at Casey. "It's Andrew," he told him, the knot in his chest loosening slightly. "I knew he'd call eventually."

Flipping open the cell phone, he let out a breath of relief. "Andrew, dude. Where are you? Are you guys okay? We tried to meet you at the car afterwards, but-"

"Andrew can't come to the phone right now," came a cool, distant tone on the other end, and Derek frowned at the sound of Jacob's voice on the other line, just as distasteful as ever. "You two should really start locking your cell phones when you don't need them. Anyone can get into your contact list, with your level of security."

Tightening an arm around Casey's shoulder, Derek clenched his teeth. "Where's Rebecca?" he asked, ignoring the look of confusion playing in Casey's eyes. "And Andrew. I swear to God, if you hurt either of them, I'll make you regret the day you were born, Wilson."

"You pull another stunt like the one you pulled today, and you won't have a family around to protect," Jacob threatened, and Derek was surprised at the confidence in Jacob's voice. "We don't like being messed with, Venturi, and don't think we'll take the matter lightly."

Derek shook his head, not wanting to get into a heated argument with Casey right there next to him. She had been through enough already. "Just tell me where you're keeping them," he said, his voice low and smooth.

There was a moment's pause, before Jacob snorted, obviously amused at the question. "I don't know where your silly little sidekick is, nor do I have that stupid little girl of yours," he commented, and it terrified Derek that he sounded brutally honest. "Maybe you should stop trusting people so easily, Venturi. It seems to be getting you into a lot of trouble these days."

Derek's entire body was numb with the realization of Jacob's words, but he tried to keep his mind from actually thinking the horrible thought, the one possibility that he couldn't stand facing. It couldn't be true. There was no way in hell Andrew would've betrayed him like that.

"Don't think this is over, Venturi."

Without another word, the line went dead, and he was left holding the phone numbly to his ear, with no idea of where to go from here.

As the dialtone cut back in, Casey looked up at him, her broken blue eyes pools of confusion. "What is it?" she asked, sounding suddenly nervous. "What did he say?"

Derek couldn't take his eyes away from the wall in front of him, nor could he find it in him to move a muscle. The feeling of betrayal overwhelming him was too strong, and yet too overbearingly false at the same time, that he found himself paralyzed with uncertainty and fear.

"They've got Andrew's phone," he said, his voice cracking over every syllable. "But they haven't got Andrew, or Becca."

Casey was silent for a moment, her brow furrowing as she began to piece together what this must mean. "So you're saying..." she started slowly.

"I'm saying that Andrew never got held up by the Wilsons," he said numbly, the words sounding abruptly forced and unnatural on his lips. "Whatever happened, whatever went wrong, Andrew acted alone."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them then, because really, what was there to say?

* * *

**I am so, so, so, so, so sorry. I don't think I can say it enough. I have no real, valid excuse for this lateness, other than the fact that I've been in a pretty bad place lately with my life, and I'm sorry for letting it take a toll on my updates. I'm trying to keep up, I really am. Lol, but enough boring apologies. If you're still reading, thank you! I'd love to hear what you thought. **


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 29:**

"There has to be some other explanation," Casey persisted, for what Derek was sure was the hundredth time that evening. "If Andrew ran off, it was for a good reason; he must have known something that you didn't, Derek. Andrew would never betray our family."

"Yeah, but why would he just take off without a word?" Terrence argued, shaking his head. "It just doesn't make any sense; he knew you guys would freak out if he didn't show up with Rebecca; I mean, she's your daughter. If Andrew is as good of a friend as you claim he is, he never would have taken off like that, not without some sort of warning."

"He played you," Dylan muttered bitterly, folding his arms across his chest. "When are you guys going to understand? You can't trust anybody anymore."

"Andrew is family," Casey said, almost bitterly. "Derek, tell them they're wrong."

Derek was the only one who had remained silent throughout the ordeal. He was slumped at the small writing desk in his and Casey's hotel room, eyes focused on the wall behind the bed, his gaze distant. After he had called Terrence and Dylan into the room and filled them in on the most recent phone call from Jacob, he had barely spoken two words. He had listened to the group's bickering half-heartedly, but anyone could tell that his mind just wasn't there; he was busy working through all of the possibilities in his head, trying desperately to latch onto something that he may have overlooked.

"It just doesn't add up," he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else. "We had a game plan; Andrew knew it better than anyone else. We were all supposed to head uptown, and meet by the car. If there was a delay, go straight to the hotel, no detours."

"There was no delay," Terrence reminded him, shaking his head. "My brother has Andrew's phone, but he made it perfectly clear that he has no idea where Andrew or your daughter are."

"Maybe he's lying," Casey suggested, though the hope in her voice wasn't backed up by any real level of confidence. "Do you think they could be trying to trick us, to turn us against Andrew?"

Derek shook his head calmly, running a hand through his hair. "Andrew isn't the one they're after," he said confidently.

"Besides, my brother isn't smart enough to use Andrew as a pawn," Terrence shrugged. "If they really had Becca, or even if they knew where she was, they would have used her as bait by now. Trust me, Jacob wouldn't be able to keep quiet if he had something over Derek. He loves blackmail."

They all fell into an awkward silence, not quite sure where they were supposed to go from here. It was well past ten o'clock in the evening now, and while they knew that they were pretty well out of harm's way at the hotel, this was just a temporary solution. For tonight, they would rest up, recuperate, collectively gather an intel of what they knew. But when morning came, they would have to execute a new game plan.

They couldn't go back home to London, not yet, and certainly not without Becca. While Derek had initially wanted to return home long enough for Mr. Simpson and the police to be reassured that Casey was alive and well, the phone call from Jacob had made it obvious that clearing his name would be taking a back burner for now. There was no chance in hell that they would be returning to London while Becca's whereabouts were still unknown, not to mention Andrew's. While Derek knew that, at least for now, their enemies were close by, he didn't want to chance returning back home. Home wasn't safe anymore, that much was obvious.

So they couldn't go home, and yet staying here indefinitely also seemed out of the question. Derek knew that they needed to act, and they needed to act quickly, before Jacob and his allies had a chance to figure out their next plan of attack.

"Have any of you gotten any messages?" he asked quietly, his gaze fixed on the floor. "Everyone has their phone on, right? I want to be sure Andrew is able to get through to us, if he gets to a phone."

"No one has called, Derek," Casey said quietly, placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. He muttered something angrily under his breath and clenched his hand into a fist on his lap, obviously frustrated. While he hadn't said as much, Casey knew beyond a doubt that his best friend's disappearance was getting under his skin. She knew that Derek wanted to believe the best in Andrew; hell, so did she. But the evidence against Andrew's loyalty was piling up by the hour, and it was obvious that it was taking Derek every ounce of his willpower to fight back against what his logic was telling him, to believe the best in his friend.

Derek straightened up then, forcing an authoritative and confident look onto his features. Only Casey could see the weariness and exhaustion that he was masking behind his calm demeanour, a token of how harshly the day's events were weighing on his shoulders.

"Everyone go and get some sleep," he finally sighed. "Be on high alert tonight; I want all windows and doors locked up tight, and all belongings ready to go at a moment's notice. If you see or hear anything suspicious, if you so much as see a shadow that rubs you the wrong way, you come to me, no questions asked. Is that understood?"

Terrence nodded, but Dylan was still slouched against the wall closest to the door, his gaze fixed on the floor with a scowl. He had showered, and Casey had cleaned up the cuts on his face and arms. She had taken the extra step and applied ice packs to the multiple bruises he was sporting, but despite all of his attempts at cleaning up, the kid still looked like hell.

Derek raised an eyebrow at the sullen teenager, awaiting a response.

"Dylan?" he prompted, snapping his fingers pointedly. "Did you hear me?"

Dylan shifted uncomfortably against the wall, peeking out at Derek from beneath strands of shaggy hair that had fallen around his eyes. For a heartbreaking moment, he looked like a lost little boy, uncomfortable and frightened.

"Becca is going to be okay, right?" he asked, and Derek did not miss the way that his voice wavered over the little girl's name. Clearly, he had developed a soft spot for the child, while they had been held in captivity together.

He studied the teenager with interest, and it was only then that he seen beyond the tough persona that Dylan always wore for show, to the scared and bruised kid underneath. Since day one, Dylan had acted as though nothing phased him; he had barely mentioned the traumatizing events that he had fled from. He had witnessed both of his parents being murdered in cold blood, right under his own nose. He had narrowly escaped death himself, and had somehow found his way to the Venturi family, whom he had known to be in imminent danger. He had brushed off any attempts at comfort, had effortlessly forgiven Derek's initial violence towards him, and had participated in the investigation so bravely and maturely, that Derek had almost forgotten what Dylan truly was.

He was a terrified kid who had just lost both of his parents in the most tragic manner possible, and he was running scared. He wore a scowl to mask everything that he was fighting back, everything that he didn't want to deal with. He wanted to come off like this big, strong man, capable of running with the rest of the crowd. But here, today, after everything that he had gone through, he was finally faltering.

Standing up, Derek crossed the room, looking Dylan squarely in the eye. Any other day, Dylan would have straightened out of his slouch, met Derek's gaze with a calculated and stony determination. But today, he merely gazed up at Derek desperately, waiting for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. It had been a long time since anyone had put his mind at ease, since anyone had treated him like the child that he was.

"Nothing is going to happen to my daughter," Derek reassured the teenager, clamping a hand down on his shoulder. "I'm not going to let someone else you care about slip away from you, kid, you got that?"

Dylan swallowed hard, nodding his head to show his understanding. His relief and gratitude were obvious. "Yes, sir."

Before Derek could protest, Dylan had fallen against him, his arms winding around the older man in a hug. Derek stiffened, surprised; himself and Dylan had never really seen eye to eye on things, let alone had the sort of relationship that would warrant any hugging business. Nonetheless, he knew that Dylan was desperate right now, and so he returned the gesture with a brief, one armed hug around the teen's shoulders.

"Your father would be proud of you," he said, without a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Don't doubt that."

Dylan pulled back, and it was easy to see that he was trying to fight back a proud smile. After all of the effort the kid had exerted over the past few weeks, staying strong for everyone else, he deserved to hear a little bit of praise. The boy had been strong and brave beyond imagination.

"Go on," Derek instructed, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Go and get some sleep. And remember what I said; anything out of the ordinary, you guys come to me. No second guessing, you got it?"

With a nod, Dylan sauntered off towards the door to the room, and Terrence gave a sleepy little half wave to the pair of them as he followed along behind the boy, shuffling his feet.

"Goodnight, guys," he called out, the fatigue from the day's events evident in his voice.

The door slammed shut behind the two of them, and Derek let out an exhilarated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, suddenly exhausted. It was difficult, being the one everyone turned to for information, having everyone depend on him to know what their next move would be. He was so accustomed to having Andrew at his side to shoulder some of the burden, that he had almost forgotten how difficult it was to execute a plan of action all on your own.

Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed Casey staring at him with a strange mixture of pride and concern. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room towards her, realizing that he hadn't really had the chance to speak with her, _really _speak with her, since rescuing her from the warehouse. Everything had been nonstop action, a whirlwind of confusion, and all he wanted all of a sudden was to be there with her. He had spent the past week absolutely miserable, hating himself for his role in her disappearance. He had driven himself absolutely crazy, wondering how she was, if she was okay, and suddenly she was here in front of him. She was bruised, scarred, yes, but just as strong as ever.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he drew her closer to him, relishing the simple feeling of having his girlfriend in his arms again, safe and sound.

"It's all going to work out," he assured her confidently, lifting a brow. "You know that, don't you?"

She looked doubtful, and he couldn't blame her. She reached up, cupping his cheek against her palm as she studied his features, her mind obviously racing.

"I know that you wouldn't let anything bad happen to Rebecca," she said, sidestepping his question. "And I know that you'd trust Andrew Wallace with your life."

Derek studied her curiously, frowning. "Wouldn't you?" he asked her, hoping that he wasn't alone in his blind faith in Andrew. "I know that all of this looks really suspicious, and I know everyone thinks that Andrew betrayed us," he said. "And I've been racking my brain for the past few hours, trying my best to come up with some possible reason why Andrew would've taken off like this, and I've got nothing."

Casey lifted an eyebrow at him. "But…" she coaxed him, sensing that there was more.

"But as incriminating as all of this looks, even if I can't think of any plausible excuse for his actions, I don't believe Andrew would've turned his back on us," Derek finished, before cringing shamefully. "I guess that would make me a sucker, right? I mean, I should have learned a long time ago that you can't exactly trust just anyone."

Casey reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling softly. "You're not a sucker, Derek," she reassured him, shaking her head. "You're a great friend."

Derek relaxed at her words, relieved that at least one member of their group didn't think he was a complete idiot for choosing to trust Andrew. Even if they hadn't said as much, Derek knew that Dylan and Terrence both believed they had been duped, that Andrew had somehow gone behind their backs, though neither of them could think of a clear motive.

"For what it's worth," she continued, "I trust Andrew just as much as you do. Believe me, I wouldn't be standing idly by in this hotel room, doing nothing, if I didn't believe our daughter was completely safe with Drew. I don't know what happened this afternoon, but I do know that she's in good hands."

Derek nodded his head at her words, relieved that they were on the same page for once. Before her disappearance, they had spent weeks on opposite sides of the fence, arguing at every possible turn, disagreeing about virtually everything. They had both been so anxious and worked up over the imminent threat of danger, that they had allowed the tension to overflow into their relationship. During the week since she had disappeared, Derek had found himself replaying and regretting every harsh and hurtful word that they had uttered to each other, realizing how meaningless and idiotic their fighting had been.

"We wasted so much time arguing, before," he said, voicing his opinion out loud. "We've both been really stressed out, and I know I've probably made some really stupid decisions since all of this began, but you have to believe me when I say that everything I've done… it's what I believed to be for the best at the time."

She closed her eyes, leaning against his chest. Derek smoothed his hands over her back, trying to remember the last time he had possessed the freedom to do this.

"I just can't argue with you anymore," he admitted, shaking his head. "When I realized that the two of you were gone, Case, it killed me. I found myself going through every stupid argument and fight we've had lately, hating myself for wasting our time together on such… meaningless, trivial bickering."

She nodded against his chest, clutching the fabric of his t-shirt into her fist, as though she was unsure that he was really there with her.

"I've been doing the same," she admitted, sighing. "I know now that everything that you've done was to keep our family safe, even if it didn't seem that way at the time." She paused, as though unsure as to whether or not she should continue.

"Go on," he urged her, knowing it was best to get everything out in the open. "What is it?"

Casey squirmed uncomfortably. "You just… you can be so infuriating sometimes, Derek."

He laughed at that, resting his chin on top of her head gently. "Infuriating," he repeated, smiling to himself. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"It's true," she said, though there was a hint of humour to her own voice now. "I know that you like to be the big hero, or whatever, and I know that you want to keep me and Becca safe. But sometimes, you've gotta understand that I can do things on my own."

Derek drew back slightly, his brow furrowed as he gazed at her, unsure of what she meant. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Casey sighed heavily. "It's just… you get so protective, and I know you've got every right to be, don't get me wrong," she said, when he opened his mouth to protest. "But you focus so much on keeping us safe, that you lose out on the big picture sometimes, you know? You miss all of these little details, because you're too busy worrying about whether or not I'm safe."

He frowned. "I'm your boyfriend," he reminded her solemnly. "It's my job to worry about you. After everything that happened back in university, with the Wilsons…"

"It shook you, I know," she said. "I know that you have more of a reason to worry than most boyfriends would, okay? I get that. But I'm a strong girl, Derek. You don't need to spend every second of every day hovering over me, making sure I'm safe." She shrugged, and her hand gripped his elbow then, holding his attention on her words "Bad things are going to happen whether or not you're there to protect me."

He closed his eyes, wishing that her words weren't true. With all his heart, he wanted them to be a normal couple, living their lives carefree and clueless, unaware that people such as the Wilsons would always be around to cause havoc and destruction. He just wanted to be able to put his kids to bed at night and not have to worry about whether or not they would be safe. He wanted to go to bed and kiss his girlfriend and be able to fight with her without feeling as though they were wasting away precious time.

"I'm just sick of bad things happening to our family," he admitted quietly, words he would not have revealed to anyone else. "You went through so much before, you endured so much with the Wilsons, and I just don't want to see you in that sort of a mess again, Case."

He drew her tighter against him, almost protectively. "I know you can look out for yourself, and I know that you stood up to them and protected the kids, this time around. I am so proud of you for that, Case. But protecting you guys… it's what I know how to do. And so it's just instinct for me to look out for you, you know?"

She smiled up at him then, knowing that he needed the reassurance. "And you're excellent at it," she complimented, running a hand through his messy hair. "Honestly, how many girls can say that their boyfriend came to rescue them from kidnappers not once, but _twice_?"

He cracked a smile at her attempts to placate him, knowing that she meant to fluff his ego, to assure him that she really did need him around.

With the agonizing memory of the past week imprinted in the back of his mind and his arms encircled around her waist, he drew Casey against him, closing the distance between them with a kiss. Her fingers instinctively wound through his hair, tugging him gently towards her. His lips caressed hers in a gentle and yet desperate kiss; she had been through a lot in this past week, he knew that, and so he wanted to be gentle with her. And yet as his hands found their way to either side of her waist, he found himself unable to keep his emotion and longing for her at bay, and his kiss was almost bruising against her lips as his eyes squeezed shut, and he poured everything he had into it, praying that she could feel everything that he was trying to convey. _'I miss you, I love you, Don't leave me.' _

As her fingers tugged on the hem of his t-shirt and she began to guide him back towards the bed, he stopped her for a moment, his hand circling her wrist to grab her attention. His eyes locked with hers, and he couldn't fight back the smile that edged onto his lips.

"I am so happy to have you back," he got out through choked laughter, shaking his head. "Can we please just pretend, just for tonight, that it's over, that nothing bad can happen to us anymore?"

The smile Casey offered him in return was a bittersweet mixture of sadness and compliance. If he wanted one night of no worries, who was she to deny it to him? Because they both knew that, despite their reunion today, this was the eye of the storm. And if they had learned anything from their last life-changing ordeal, it was that when a storm came for them, it damn well thundered and poured and gave them it's all. Right now, it was just the two of them here in this hotel room; when it was just the two of them, they could be Derek and Casey, and pretend like nothing bad was going to come for them ever again.

Inevitably, of course, morning would come; and when morning came, their problems would be painstakingly real. But for tonight, and for tonight only, they could pretend.


End file.
